The people closest to Joe Biden made one stunning decision that sealed his fate.
A veteran strategist is finally speaking out about what happened behind closed doors.
And now Jill Biden will be furious after a veteran insider dropped this truth bomb that destroys her legacy.
Top Obama advisor puts Biden’s team on blast
The fallout from the Democrats’ catastrophic 2024 election continues with former President Barack Obama’s closest political advisor slamming Biden’s inner circle for putting their interests ahead of the country.
David Axelrod, who served as the chief strategist for Obama’s presidential campaigns, told CNN’s Jake Tapper that Biden’s staff “did not serve him well” as they pushed the aging president to run for a second term.
“Joe Biden served this country honorably for more than half a century, did accomplish some very significant things as president, but mistakenly thought that he was equipped to run for another term,” Axelrod said during his CNN appearance.
He pointed out what many Americans could plainly see but Biden’s handlers refused to acknowledge – Biden’s advanced age made him unfit for another four years in office.
“As I said back in 2022, he’d be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of that term. And that was just not sensible,” Axelrod explained.
Biden’s team put their ambitions ahead of the country
Axelrod didn’t pull punches when describing how Biden’s closest advisors – including many family members – betrayed both Biden and the nation by encouraging his fateful decision to seek another term.
“A lot of people around him did not serve him well because they reinforced his desire to run instead of protecting his legacy and him,” Axelrod stated.
The veteran Democratic strategist emphasized that the consequences went beyond just harming Biden’s reputation.
“And by the way, also the Democratic Party and the country,” Axelrod added, making it clear that Biden’s team bore responsibility for the landslide defeat Democrats suffered.
Obama tried to intervene but was ignored
The CNN segment touched on the complicated relationship between Biden and Obama, which Axelrod described as one of “deep friendship” but also “some sense of rivalry” on Biden’s part.
“On the part of Biden, I think also some sense of rivalry to compete with the reputation and the achievements of Obama,” Axelrod noted.
According to Axelrod, Obama attempted to steer Biden toward stepping aside but was rebuffed.
“When Obama gave him advice, and I’m not gonna tell you what that advice was, but he gave the advice that a good and loving friend should give,” Axelrod revealed.
This supports previous reporting that Obama privately harbored serious concerns about Biden’s ability to serve another term and win reelection, even while publicly supporting his former vice president.
Biden’s stubborn refusal led to electoral disaster
The interview reinforces what many political observers have noted – that Biden’s decision to run despite his obvious cognitive decline set the Democratic Party up for failure.
When Biden’s public performance deteriorated dramatically in the June debate against Donald Trump, it validated Axelrod’s early warnings from 2022 that had been dismissed by the Biden team.
Biden eventually stepped aside in July but only after wasting valuable time and resources that could have given his replacement a fighting chance.
Kamala Harris’s landslide defeat to Donald Trump demonstrated just how badly the Democratic Party had been damaged by Biden’s stubborn insistence on running and his team’s unwillingness to be honest with him.
Axelrod’s candid assessment reveals how a president’s inner circle can either protect him from his worst instincts or enable them – with devastating consequences.
The crushing defeat suffered by Democrats in November 2024 will likely be studied for years as a case of how personal ambition and denial can lead to political catastrophe.
