Axelrod Last Year: Biden Must ‘Prove That He Is Up To It’

Over the course of the Democratic presidential primary campaign, former Vice President Joe Biden has largely avoided doing television interviews and has held fewer events than his opponents. His few recent media appearances have been dreadful. 

But David Axelrod, who served as the chief campaign strategist and senior White House advisor to President Barack Obama, has seen enough from Biden to call the rest of the debates off. 

Last night, when Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign indicated he’s planning to attend a primary debate scheduled next month, Axelrod tweeted: “Seriously?” Biden shared similar thoughts on Wednesday, telling reporters: “I think we've had enough debates.”

Last summer, however, Axelrod warned that Biden’s campaign needed to stop insulating him from the press, and suggested Biden needed to demonstrate his readiness in debates. He also said it was fair for people to question Biden’s age. 

“He can’t get away with what they’ve tried to get away with so far, and they’ve been pretty successful,” Axelrod said at a conference for health insurance lobbyists. “He hasn’t done a major interview. He’s in the sort of candidate protection program to try to avoid these gaffes. The only way he gets through this process is to go out there and vigorously prove that he is up to it. I think the debates are going to be a big test of that.”

Axelrod added: “He has the added burden of being 76 years old. He’d be 78 the day he took office, eight years older than the oldest president who ever took office which was Donald Trump. There are legitimate -- you guys are in the health care field -- there are legitimate questions about that.” 

After Biden won three state primaries last week, he disappeared from public view for nearly a week, with his campaign explaining that they were working on “scaling up that infrastructure and dealing with the realities of Biden’s Wilmington Home, like the fact that there aren’t particularly high ceilings, which can make lighting a challenge.”

On Tuesday, Biden participated in a series of interviews that were truly excruciating to watch. Biden might be winning, but he hasn’t proven he’s fit for anything. The next debate should be a good test. 

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