Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, former President Barack Obama was notably reserved when it came to endorsing the man who served as his vice president for two terms.

At one point, Joe Biden even claimed he asked his ex-boss not to publicly support his candidacy. While Obama finally threw his political weight behind the Democratic nominee, the move struck many pundits as a lackluster afterthought. 

I’m proud to endorse my friend @JoeBiden for President of the United States. Let's go: https://t.co/maHVGRozkX

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 14, 2020

As a nearly 81-year-old Biden stumbles through a re-election bid, however, Obama is apparently more motivated to issue a recommendation that might help the increasingly unpopular incumbent limp across the finish line toward a second term.

Fifteen years after he was first elected, Obama commemorated the anniversary with a glowing assessment of Biden’s supposed strengths. 

“For eight years, [Biden] and I worked to deliver change for the American people,” the former president wrote. “I couldn’t have asked for a better Vice President and friend — and we’ll always be thankful to all the campaign staff and Administration alumni who helped bring that progress to folks across the country. Yes we can. Yes we did.”

Of course, a number of prominent Democrats — including Obama’s former adviser, David Axelrod — are clearly not convinced that Biden is capable of meeting the requirements of a second term.

In a recent social media screed, Axelrod cited recent polling results that paint a dismal outlook for Biden’s re-election chances and called on the president to reconsider whether he should pursue another term.

“It’s very late to change horses; a lot will happen in the next year that no one can predict & Biden’s team says his resolve to run is firm,” he wrote.

Going on to argue that the “stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore,” Axelrod wrote: “Only [Biden] can make this decision. If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?”

According to the results of a CNN poll published in September, two-thirds of Democratic voters indicated that they did not want Biden to seek a second term.