Obama Adviser Responds To Biden Calling Him A “Prick”

Last week, a New York Times/Sienna poll showed that President Trump was leading Joe Biden in key swing states, which led to a lot of Democrats considering having another candidate replace Biden in the 2024 election.

David Axelrod, a senior Obama adviser, was one of the first people to tell Biden to consider dropping out of the presidential race.

WATCH: Obama adviser David Axelrod asks if it’s “best” for Pres. Biden to run for re-election.@symonedsanders: “If the president of the United States of America is eligible to run for re-election and decides to do so, that’s your nominee, baby. That’s how it works.” pic.twitter.com/GmhlITZuHF

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) November 6, 2023

It's very late to change horses; a lot will happen in the next year that no one can predict & Biden's team says his resolve to run is firm.
He's defied CW before but this will send tremors of doubt thru the party–not "bed-wetting," but legitimate concern. https://t.co/g6zeWF0T87

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 5, 2023

The advice wasn’t taken in stride, because Biden lashed out at Axelrod on Monday, calling him a “prick.”

🚨 REPORT: Joe Biden cussed out David Axelrod, the top strategist to President Barack Obama, in a private meeting after Axelrod suggested that it would be “wise” for Biden to not seek reelection given his faltering health and tanking popularity.https://t.co/FFTtOIAfLj

— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) November 13, 2023

Axelrod responded later in the day, brushing off the insult.

Axelrod: Biden "wouldn’t be the first" to call me a "pr—" https://t.co/ItuasoCuUS pic.twitter.com/uhazWoE0lo

— The Hill (@thehill) November 13, 2023

From The Hill:

Former Obama adviser David Axelrod brushed aside reporting that President Biden used colorful language to complain about his recent commentary about Biden’s reelection chances and political future.

Politico’s Jonathan Martin, who has covered Biden for years, reported Monday that Biden referred to him as a “pr‑‑‑” following Axelrod’s recent comments, citing a person who has heard Biden use the word on occasion in private.

Axelrod, who is now a CNN contributor and political analyst, was asked about Martin’s reporting during an appearance on the network Monday.

“He wouldn’t be the first, I guess, in my many years in politics,” Axelrod said of Biden. “Listen, I understand he was irritated because I raised concerns that many, many Democrats had. And again, my feeling is either get out or get going.”

Axelrod, a longtime Democratic political operative who was a key player in the Obama administration, made headlines last week with a suggestion that Biden should consider stepping aside from running for reelection for the good of the country.

The pundit’s commentary came the same day as new polling that found Biden trailing former President Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination, in several key battleground states in a potential 2024 match-up.

“The stakes are so high,” Axelrod said Monday, standing by his comments. “This isn’t [Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah)] or [former Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)] … this is Donald Trump.