CNN political director David Chalian said that the latest poll numbers still show President Biden is in trouble despite the success that Democrats scored on Election Night on Tuesday.
“Tonight is undoubtedly a good night for the Democrats. There’s no doubt about it,” Chalian told viewers on Tuesday after the network announced the re-election of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as well as the Ohio referendum in which voters cast ballots in favor of a constitutional provision protecting abortion rights.
But Chalian pivoted to Biden, whose disapproval rating soared to 61%, according to a new CNN poll.
Chalian said that “the nation has soured” on the 80-year-old president, who is presiding over an economy hamstrung by high inflation.
Biden’s mental acuity and his readiness to take on the stresses of the job have also been called into question, particularly after a series of verbal gaffes and physical stumbles.
Just 25% of Americans said Biden has the stamina and sharpness to be an effective leader.
Among Democrats, just 39% of Americans said they approved of Biden’s job performance, according to the poll cited by Chalian.
The numbers break down along party lines as 77% of Democrats said they approved of Biden’s job performance while 95% of Republicans disagreed.
Just 34% of independents approved of Biden, according to the CNN poll.
The survey, which was taken between Oct. 27 and Nov. 2, shows Biden trailing former President Donald Trump by four points among registered voters — 49% to 45%.
“Biden’s [job approval ratings are] down there between Donald Trump and Jimmy Carter,” Chalian said. “You may know, that is down in the category of one-term presidents.”
Despite growing calls for Biden not to run for re-election, Chalian said the incumbent “clearly wants to turn that around and he’s got a year to do so.”
Earlier this week, David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama, suggested that Biden drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Axelrod pointed to Sunday polling from the New York Times and Siena College that shows the president lagging behind Trump in the five key battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania — states which Biden won when he faced Trump in 2020.
The voters overwhelmingly preferred Trump over Biden on issues of immigration, national security and on the current war in Israel, the polling found.
Axelrod wrote on X that the data “will send tremors of doubt thru the [Democratic] Party” and will create “legitimate concern” about having the president seek re-election.
“Only Joe Biden can make this decision,” he said of having the president run in 2024.
“If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party,” he posted.
“What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?”
The Post has sought comment from the White House.
Additional Reporting by Melissa Koenig
