The Democrat strategist who helped mastermind Barack Obama’s 2008 White House victory has offered a damning indictment of Joe Biden’s chances next year.

David Axelrod shared his analysis on the poll, published on November 5 by The New York Times and Siena College, which showed the president, 80, behind Trump in five of six key battleground states. 

He claimed the data ‘will send tremors of doubt thru the [Democratic] Party’ and added that Biden needs to decide whether running in the 2024 presidential race is in his or the country’s best interests. 

Asked by columnist Maureen Dowd what he thought Biden’s chances of winning were, Axelrod put them at 50-50 – or slightly under.  

Axelrod added that the ‘stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore.’ He branded Donald Trump as a ‘dangerous, unhinged demagogue’, but warned that the Democrats cannot count on some voters disdain for the 45th president to help Biden across the finish line. 

Biden, who turns 81 on Monday, reportedly called Axelrod a ‘pr**k’ for questioning whether he should run again in 2024.  

Democrat strategist David Axelrod (center), who helped mastermind Barack Obama’s 2008 run to the White House, has claimed there is ‘legitimate concern’ about Joe Biden seeking re-election after a damning poll showed him trailing behind Donald Trump 

Axelrod (pictured with Biden) claimed the data ‘will send tremors of doubt thru the [Democratic] Party’ and added that Biden needs to decide whether running in the 2024 presidential race is in his or the country’s best interests

The poll, published on November 5 by The New York Times and Siena College, showed the president, 80, is behind Trump in five of six key battleground states 

The poll, released two weeks ago, shows Biden lagging behind former president Trump in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania which he previously won in the 2020 battle. 

Axelrod took to X to share his views and claimed the data would create ‘legitimate concern’ among the Democrats. 

He questioned whether it was ‘wise’ to seek a second term. 

‘Only Joe Biden can make this decision,’ Axelrod said on whether the president runs for re-election. 

‘If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?’ 

But he noted there is a ‘risk associated with changing course now, as there is little time left for a primary campaign — and campaigns are how we test candidates.

‘But there is a lot of leadership talent in the Democratic Party poised to emerge.’ 

Biden called the political strategist a ‘pr**k’ for questioning him over his move for re-election, according to Politico. 

The publication said the president uttered the insult following his comments about the poll. 

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd insisted that Axelrod is not a ‘pr**k’. 

‘I’ve known him since 2007 and if I had to pick a noun to describe him, it would be mensch,’ she wrote in her latest column. Mensch is a Yiddish word used to describe a person of integrity, morality and dignity.

‘So when President Biden privately employs that epithet for Axelrod, according to Politico’s Jonathan Martin, it’s bad for a few reasons.

‘The ordinarily gracious president is punching down at the strategist who helped elevate him onto the ticket with Barack Obama in 2008 and who thinks he was “a great vice president” and has done a lot of wonderful things as president.’

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Dowd insists Biden ‘craves the affirmation of being re-elected’. 

‘He doesn’t want to look like a guy who’s been driven from office,’ she added.

Axelrod took to X to share his views and claimed the data would create ‘legitimate concern’ among the Democrats

He added that the ‘stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore,’ characterizing Trump as a ‘dangerous, unhinged demagogue’

Biden (left) reportedly called Obama’s former adviser Axelrod a ‘pr**k’ for questioning whether he should run again in 2024

‘But he should not indulge the Irish chip on his shoulder. He needs to gather the sharpest minds in his party and hear what they have to say, not engage in petty feuds.’

Polling from The New York Times and Siena College shows Biden trialing behind Trump in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

The poll of 3,662 registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin was conducted between October 22 to November 3. 

The margin of error for each state is between 4.4 and 4.8 percentage points.

Biden is ahead only in Wisconsin, by two percentage points, and falls to Trump in the five other states by margins of four to 10 percentage points among registered voters, according to the poll.

Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania were four of the states the Democrat beat then-president Trump in during their 2020 White House face-off.

The same poll revealed that two-thirds of the electorate sees the country moving in the wrong direction under Biden.

Just 37 percent of people say they trusted Biden with the economy, compared to 59 percent with Trump – which is one of the largest issue gaps, the polling suggested.

Biden’s bragging rights on ‘Bidenomics’ has fallen short too – with a measly two percent saying the economy was ‘excellent’ during his tenure.

Inflation has fallen – but many ordinary Americans are still struggling with the hugely-increased cost of everyday goods and services. 

According to the statistics, young voters under the age of 30 are only favoring Biden by a single percentage point – and men are preferring Trump by double the margin that women are choosing Biden.

Voters across all income levels felt that policies under Biden had hurt them personally (18 points disadvantage) whereas Trump’s policies had helped them (17 point advantage.)

Biden’s age of 80 also played a massive factor, according to the data. 71 percent of the pollsters – from every demographic – said he was ‘too old.’

Comparatively, just 39 percent saw Trump, 77, as too old.

Voters also preferred Trump over Biden on immigration, national security, and on the current Israel Palestine by 12, 12, and 11 points respectively.

Meanwhile, Biden’s pull with Hispanic voters is down to single digits, and black voters who are traditionally Democratic are now registering 22 percent support for Trump.