According to statements from an unnamed source who spoke with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the former president “knows this is going to be a close race,” and believes “Democrats very well could lose.” Obama reportedly expressed worry over the possibility of a second presidency by former President Donald Trump, saying his win would be “pretty dangerous for democracy.” The WSJ account comes within days of President Joe Biden expressing frustration over low poll numbers, which have continued to slump. While Andrew Bates, White House spokesman, told the Washington Post he will not discuss private conversations, a separate official confirmed to the Post that Biden and the First Lady have been frustrated by his low approval rating and polling data showing him trailing Trump, the clear GOP frontrunner. Biden’s approval rating among Republicans has remained in the single-digits, but his job approval among Democrats has slid 12 points since this time last year, according to new data from Pew Research. Currently, Biden’s approval rating is sitting at just 33 percent, not only the lowest of his presidency, but also the lowest approval rating of any U.S. president in modern history. Last month, Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chávez Rodriguez, expressed reservations over the possibility of a win in next year’s general election. “Make no mistake, 2024 will be a close election. And we know that we can’t take anything for granted. We’ve been saying that from the beginning,” she said. Though there have been growing calls for Biden to end his candidacy and let Democrats replace him with someone else, campaign staffers who were also involved with Obama’s launch in 2008 say that the political and media class is making the same mistakes they made in 2019: underestimating Biden, and misunderstanding how much critical groups of voters hate Trump. During a meeting last Friday in Chicago, Biden staffers said during a presentation they believe that as the election draws closer and Trump becomes a regular feature in mainstream media again, Biden will regain popularity.Former President Barack Obama is privately voicing concern that the prospect of Republicans defeating Democrats in the 2024 election is a real possibility.
