CNN’s Phil Mattingly said Monday the White House has to acknowledge that a New York Times/Siena College poll is “not exactly great” for President Joe Biden.
The poll found Biden trailing former President Donald Trump in five out of six crucial swing states by substantial margins, with Trump polling between 3 to 10 points ahead in states like Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Wisconsin is the only other swing state in which Biden holds a lead within the margin of error over Trump.
Biden has also seen a decline in support amongst black and Hispanic voters, according to the poll.
Mattingly asked CNN’s White House correspondent Arlette Saenz about the White House’s plan of action after the poll. (RELATED: ‘I Was Stunned’: CNN Host Shocked After David Axelrod Calls For Biden To Consider Dropping Out)
“What is their pushback to these numbers that they would have to acknowledge aren’t exactly great?”
“Well Phil, as you know, polls are simply a snapshot in time. The latest round of polling really presents a grim and challenging picture for President Biden one year out from the election. Now look, the campaign stresses that these early polls one year out aren’t necessarily predictive of the final outcomes, and they say they will win in 2024 by keeping their heads down and doing the work, not fretting about polls. But there are some warning signs from the president … which shows him trailing former President Trump in at least five key swing states. It’s not just the fact that he’s trailing in the states that he actually won back in 2020 he is also seeing his support [decrease] amongst some of the groups that were really pivotal to getting him into the White House.”
Biden’s campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz said, “We’ll win in 2024 by putting our heads down and doing the work, not by fretting about a poll,” according to The New York Times.
“Gallup predicted an eight-point loss for President Obama only for him to win handily a year later,” Munoz reportedly said.
CNN’s David Axelrod has sounded the alarm over the poll tweeting on X, formally known as Twitter, that the poll “will send tremors of doubt” and Biden must make a “decision” about continuing to run.
“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?”
Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that he was “concerned” about Biden before the poll but remains concerned.
“These presidential races over the last couple of terms have been very tight,” he said. “No one is going to have a runaway election here. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, concentration, resources.”