Former speechwriter for President Obama and co-host of the liberal Pod Save America podcast Jon Favreau claimed that internal polling from the Biden campaign in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election showed President-elect Donald Trump was poised to win a landslide victory with a whopping 400 electoral votes in a head-to-head matchup. The news has sparked discussion among political analysts, Democrats, and insiders about the state of the race and the miscalculations that may have led to the Democrats’ staggering loss.
“We find out when the Biden campaign becomes the Harris campaign, that the Biden campaign’s own internal polling at the time, when they were telling us he was the strongest candidate, showed that Donald Trump was going to win 400 electoral votes,” Favreau said.
Favreau didn’t mince words when discussing what he saw as a critical failure in Biden’s decision to run for a second term. “Joe Biden’s decision to run for president again was a catastrophic mistake,” Favreau remarked, suggesting that Biden’s campaign had fundamentally misjudged the political landscape, particularly in regard to economic issues.
Favreau specifically criticized Biden’s campaign for refusing to acknowledge public discontent with inflation and its failure to respond to growing voter concerns about economic struggles. “They just kept telling us that his presidency was historic and that it was the greatest economy ever,” Favreau added, reflecting what he perceived as a disconnect between the Biden administration’s messaging and the concerns of everyday Americans, particularly those struggling with rising costs.
Favreau’s remarks echo broader frustrations within parts of the Democratic Party. Many had been skeptical about Biden’s ability to rally the base, with some Democrats questioning whether Biden’s age and policy direction would affect race.
Despite these internal warnings, Biden ultimately pressed ahead with his re-election campaign, a decision that some have since called into question.
Favreau’s comments are also notable in the context of a broader rift between Biden’s camp and former Obama insiders. Many of those involved in President Obama’s campaigns have been outspoken critics of Biden’s leadership, with figures like Favreau, David Axelrod, and others in Obama’s orbit expressing concerns about Biden’s age, campaign strategies, and overall political vision.
Favreau, who worked closely with Obama during his presidency, echoed a common sentiment among many Obama alumni—that Biden’s re-election bid was fundamentally flawed. “They refused to acknowledge that anyone could be upset about inflation,” Favreau said, adding that the Biden campaign’s failure to adapt to voter frustrations with the economy may have contributed significantly to the party’s struggles in 2024.
In a particularly sharp critique, Favreau accused the Biden campaign of undermining Vice President Kamala Harris. Favreau suggested that Biden’s campaign had quietly “shivved” Harris, acknowledging internally that she lacked the political appeal to win a general election. “They kept telling us she couldn’t win,” he said, reflecting the growing dissatisfaction with Harris among some Democratic operatives.
The tension within the Democratic Party also spilled into public comments from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who, while once praising Biden as a “great president,” now suggested that Biden should have stepped aside earlier in the race. “He should have gotten out the race earlier,” Pelosi reportedly said, indicating that even some of Biden’s strongest supporters had begun to doubt his viability.
The disastrous July debate raised further doubts about Biden’s cognitive state. The ensuing “circular firing squad,” where Biden’s campaign faced infighting and attacks from within his own party, made it even more difficult for the president to present a unified front against his Republican challenger, Donald Trump.
President-elect Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris decisively, securing 312 electoral votes and a popular vote victory of around 4 million votes. This victory, despite the heavy spending and messaging from the Biden campaign, highlighted the deep divisions within the Democratic Party and the struggles the Biden-Harris ticket faced in appealing to a broad swath of voters.
Jon Favreau’s comments about Biden’s internal polling paint a grim picture of the 2024 race and suggest that key miscalculations by the Biden campaign may have led to a defeat that was preventable. Whether the Democratic Party can learn from these mistakes and regroup for future elections remains to be seen. With internal rifts growing and discontent simmering over leadership, the road ahead for the party may require a significant reckoning with its strategies, leadership choices, and relationship with the voters it seeks to represent.
This wasn’t Biden’s failure in deciding to seek a second term – I suspect it was the group that has been leading and guiding him. In that sense, it was the entire leadership of the Democrat Party that bears the blame. Favreau’s comments would seem to be looking for a scapegoat instead of acknowledging that the problem was/is Democrat leadership.
It’s the Blame Game!
Typical.
Blame the moron. He won’t know if he is responsible or not.
10,000 thumbs up for making the most truthful comment!