A combination of unpopular policies and mounting concerns about his cognitive abilities have contributed to historically low approval numbers for President Joe Biden as he seeks a second term in the White House. 

His critics are not only conservative Republicans, as evidenced by an increasing number of high-profile Democrats who have expressed doubt about his chances of winning in November as well as his ability to serve four more years if he does.

Obama consultant David Axelrod panicking over Biden losing his 2020 coalition of non white voters:
"He got 88% among African American voters, he got 65% among Hispanic voters, he won young voters by 20 or more. All of these constituencies are soft now. Trump's getting upwards of… pic.twitter.com/h1dx7Uivun

— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) April 6, 2024

This week, leaked audio revealed what Ron Klain, who previously served as Biden’s chief of staff, really thinks about the president’s performance. According to a Politico report, Klain’s remarks were apparently recorded at a private event unbeknownst to him and provided an unvarnished, profanity-laden denouncement of a certain aspect of the current administration.

“I think the president is out there too much talking about bridges,” he asserted. “He does two or three events a week where he’s cutting a ribbon on a bridge. And here’s a bridge. Like, I tell you, if you go into the grocery store and, you know, eggs and milk are expensive, the fact that there’s a f—ing bridge is not [inaudible].”

Contrary to his claim at a campaign rally last month, Biden is currently running for another term as president, not for a seat on Capitol Hill.

Klain remarked, however, that Biden appears to be behaving more like someone who is campaigning to be a lawmaker than the head of the executive branch.

“He’s not a congressman,” Klain added. “He’s not running for Congress. I think it’s kind of a fool’s errand. I think that also doesn’t get covered that much because, look, it’s a f—ing bridge. Like, it’s a bridge, and how interesting is the bridge? It’s a little interesting, but it’s not a lot interesting.”

When pressed on the content of the leaked audio, Klain later attempted to clean up his remarks, telling Politico that he also addressed the perceived successes of the Biden administration at the same event.
“The president’s most effective economic message is contrast around whose side are you on and compassion for the [pinch] of family budgets and his agenda to bring down costs and raise incomes and that lauding achievements — especially ones with abstract benefits — is less persuasive with voters.”