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Axelrod Mocks Biden's 'Best Friends' Obama Tweet: 'This is a Joke, Right?'

David Axelrod/ Getty Images
June 10, 2019

CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod on Sunday mocked Joe Biden's tweet about friendship with former President Barack Obama.

Axelrod, who formerly served as a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, was one of many people who mocked Biden's tweet, including many accusing him of desperately trying to pander to supporters of Obama.

"Happy #BestFriendsDay to my friend, @BarackObama," Biden wrote.

Biden's embrace of Obama follows a rocky news cycle where he was criticized for abruptly shifting on the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding for most abortions, citing his personal beliefs. He appeared to tell an ACLU representative last month he would end it as president, but he told NBC News last week he supported it. However, he reversed this support after backlash from other 2020 Democratic candidates, including many progressive activists like actress Alyssa Milano, who helped convince Biden to flip-flop. 

Axelrod expressed skepticism last Friday about Biden's candidacy after he reversed his position on the Hyde Amendment.

"So that was a flip-flop-flip," Axelrod said. "Which is never a good thing in politics and it raises questions about his own performance and his own steadiness and his campaign’s performance."

Despite Obama's warm friendship with Biden, Obama has stayed mum on formally endorsing Biden. The former Vice President was asked back in April about not receiving an endorsement from Obama, prompting Biden to say he asked Obama not to endorse him.

"I asked President Obama not to endorse," Biden said. "Whoever wins this nomination should win it on their own merits."