Former Obama adviser David Axelrod criticized President Biden's economic strategies, revealing it drove him crazy when the president tried to "extol the miracle" of his economy as Americans struggle to afford groceries and more.
During an appearance on Bill Kristol's podcast, Axelrod said the president's strategy wasn't going to work.
"I wouldn’t go out there and extol the miracle of the Biden economy. It just drives me crazy when he does that," Axelrod said.
Axelrod noted Biden's Easter interview with Al Roker, arguing that him touting the "strongest economy in the world" was the wrong strategy.
"Instead of sort of doing what you’d expect Joe Biden to do, because he’s a person of empathy who grew up in a working class circumstance, and identify with the concern, he said, ‘You know, I’d tell them we’ve got the strongest economy in the world and, you know, we’re...’ — and he continues to do that. That is the wrong strategy," Axelrod said.
Axelrod said Biden should put himself on the side of working people.
"The right strategy is to say, ‘Look, we’ve made a lot of progress from the day I walked in the door as a country and I’m proud of our country for fighting through this pandemic and getting her back to where we’ve got this much employment. But the fact is, the way people experience this economy is the way I did when I was growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania. How much did you pay for the groceries? How do you afford the gas, the rent? And these continue to be a problem and I’m fighting that fight'… So I think he needs to put himself on the side of working people in their economic fight here," Axelrod said.
Axelrod suggested the president consider whether it was "wise" for him to remain in the presidential race as Biden was trailing former President Trump in several hypothetical election matchups, including several important swing states.
Axelrod told Kristol that working-class voters would decide the election, and that the president needs to find a way to be on their side.
"Bottom line, be more like Joe from Scranton and less like President Biden from Washington," he said. "Because those are the voters, Bill, who are going to decide this election. Working class people, Black, White and Hispanic, who are very much scuffling still in an economy that has improved. "
Politico columnist Jonathan Martin wrote in November that Biden had referred to Axelrod as a "pr---" in private, after the former Obama adviser had been sounding the alarm on Biden's chances. Martin also criticized Biden's strategy.
"Calling David Axelrod ‘a p----' in private… is not a strategy to win 270 electoral votes. And repeating a PG version of the same animus in public while litigating polling with the White House press corps also won’t make Biden’s re-election any likelier," Martin wrote in Politico.
