Obama met with Biden twice in 2023 expressing concerns over a potential Trump victory in 2024: report

Former President Barack Obama has reportedly met with President Joe Biden in private at least twice, expressing deep concerns about the possibility of a Trump victory in the upcoming 2024 election. 

According to TIME Magazine, sources familiar with the meetings revealed that Obama met with Biden last June to advise him to adopt a more aggressive approach to Trump’s campaign efforts. This advice, as per TIME's Democrat insider source, emphasized the need for Biden to make the election a referendum on Trump rather than focusing solely on his own agenda. 

After meeting with Biden and seeing little improvements, Obama returned to the White House once again in December with a larger sense of urgency. 

“He expressed concern the re-election campaign was behind schedule in building out its field operations, and bottlenecked by Biden’s insistence on relying upon an insular group of advisers clustered in the West Wing, according to the same Democratic insider,” TIME reported.

The Democratic insider continued, explaining Obama warned Biden if he didn't take decisive action, Trump could secure victory in key battleground states, including several that Biden won in 2020.

These revelations come at a time when Biden's polling numbers for the 2024 election are concerningly low for his re-election efforts. Real Clear Politics polling indicates an average approval rating of just 40.1% for Biden, with a disapproval rating soaring to 56.4%. In head-to-head matchups against Trump, many polls suggest a close race, with Trump leading within the margin of error. Notably, Trump appears to have a significant lead in several crucial swing states, including Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and Michigan.

The revelations underscore broader concerns within Democratic circles regarding Biden's electoral prospects. Some Democratic strategists worry that Biden's reliance on a strategy similar to that of his successful 2020 campaign may not be sufficient to secure victory in 2024.

“This is how he’s always run his campaigns. He and his insiders know better. Last time, it worked, so he didn’t learn any of the lessons, and thinks he can run 2020 again," one Democratic strategist who worked with Biden told the outlet. 

Despite Biden’s continual downplaying of these concerns, further polling indicates a different reality. A New York Times poll released earlier this month revealed that Trump would have a five-point lead over Biden if the election were held at that time. Notably, the poll also suggested a notable shift in voting demographics, with Trump winning Hispanics outright against Biden, as well as a substantial 23% of black respondents expressing support for the GOP nominee.