President Joe Biden genuinely believes his abysmal polling numbers don’t reflect his actual support ahead of the 2024 election, an Axios report this week indicates.
Axios reported Tuesday that Biden and many of his closest advisers have privately insisted that the president is gaining ground—and even has the advantage—on former president Donald Trump in their rematch.
This insistence goes beyond efforts to save face, sources told the outlet, as many Democrats have attempted without avail to persuade Biden to alter his campaign strategy.
Recent polling from the New York Times and Siena College shows Trump leading Biden in five of six key swing states, among both registered and "likely" voters.
The polling is consistent with other recent surveys that have shown Trump leading in battleground states.
Biden has repeatedly cast doubt on the validity of polls that show him behind. At a campaign reception in California on Friday, he said, "I … don’t think the polls mean anything today," but that "the momentum is clearly in our favor."
In a CNN interview last week where he said he was pausing weapon shipments to Israel, he also insisted "the polling data has been wrong all along."