Democratic strategist David Axelrod on Saturday called discussions about replacing President Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket “irrelevant,” as the party continues to face the fallout from the Thursday night debate.
The former Obama White House senior adviser said the appropriate time to have the discussion would have been last year.
“Reality check: @JoeBiden is the nominee of the Democratic Party, nominated by voters in primaries across the country,” Axelrod wrote on the social platform X. “Unless the @POTUS, himself, decides to quit — which he won’t — that issue is settled.”
“The discussion that is going on now was timely a year ago, when few wanted to have it. It’s largely irrelevant today,” he continued.
Biden’s shaky debate performance on Thursday has spurred conversations among Democrats about whether he should remain atop the ticket. Biden and key allies have launched a fierce campaign to defend Biden and assure the public that he is the right person for the job.
In a panel discussion immediately following the debate, Axelrod cast doubt on former President Trump’s ability to inspire the Republican base, and suggested a non-Biden Democrat would likely beat Trump.
“If, for whatever reason, there’s a change at the top of the ticket, you guys are in trouble with Donald Trump. Because the guy who was up there tonight is not a guy who’s going to inspire people,” Axelrod said of Trump on CNN. “He did not show in any way that he has changed from the guy who people have a very positive opinion of, for a lot of good reason.”
Axelrod said Thursday “there was a sense of shock” about Biden’s performance at the beginning of the debate, pointing to his raspy voice and “disoriented” disposition. He added that Biden “did get stronger as the debate went on.”
Axelrod continued: “I think you’re going to hear discussions that I don’t know will lead to anything, but there are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”