Biden Re-Election Effort So Far ‘Feels Very Much Like Hillary Clinton’ Not Taking Trump Threat Seriously, Warns Ex-GOP Operative

Brendan Buck, an MSNBC political analyst and former GOP operative, says the atmosphere surrounding Joe Biden running for re-election feels like a flashback to the last time a Democrat lost against Donald Trump for not taking him seriously enough.

“It feels very much like Hillary Clinton, who was very excited to run against Donald Trump because they thought there was no way they could lose against Donald Trump,” Buck said on MSNBC Reports, adding:

Well, we know what happened there. I think they need to take the threat a little more seriously, I think they need to be engaging Congress a little more seriously — That’s a great contrast for him, the House Republicans, where I worked, never very popular. If you can take the contrast straight to them, I think that would be very helpful for him.

José Díaz-Balart pointed out earlier in the interview an Associated Press-NORC Center poll showing some 52% of Democrats do not want Biden to run for re-election.

“That’s a stunning number,” Buck said. “More than half of your own party don’t want you to run again. I can’t recall any incumbent president that had to face something like that.

“The biggest thing Joe Biden has going for him is that Donald Trump is the biggest turnout vehicle for Democrats there has ever been,” Buck continued. “And one of the things they’ve been doing is staying a little hands-off. You know, Donald Trump got indicted, they didn’t say a lot. They seem to be thinking there’s benefit to letting Donald Trump sort of hang himself out there, and reap the benefit.”

Biden will reportedly formally announce his 2024 re-election bid next week. The president initially told NBC’s Al Roker earlier this month that he was running, but the country is still awaiting an official announcement.

Watch the full clip above via MSNBC.