Ex-Biden Spox Literally Rolls Her Eyes At Fellow CNN Analyst Axelrod For Floating Biden Drop-Out After Blockbuster Poll

CNN analyst and former Biden Communications Director Kate Bedingfield roasted CNN analyst David Axelrod’s suggestion that President Joe Biden might want to think about dropping out after a well-publicized poll.

A blockbuster battleground poll that came out over the weekend showed ex-President Donald Trump leading Biden in 5 of 6 battleground states, prompting shock coverage and a raft of prominent Democrats — like Axelrod — to float the idea of the president dropping out.

On Monday’s edition of The Lead, anchor Jake Tapper asked Bedingfield if she agrees with Axelrod, and Bedingfield responded by saying that “Ax of all people” knows that takes like his are predictable at this point in an election cycle:

TAPPER: Kate, you just left the White House earlier this year. And we realize we’re a year out. You heard Jim Messina say all this stuff, you know, of all the other precedence of people who were at this position and went on to win. But still, I’m sure this is not the poll you’d like to read.

Do you agree with Axelrod’s take that, you know, Biden should consider stepping aside maybe for the good of the country?

KATE BEDINGFIELD,: Look, I think David Axelrod’s point — we’re at the point in the cycle where we fall back on the clocks, and somebody comes out and says that the president should not be the nominee. We saw that — I’m sure David Axelrod will remember, in 2011, there were pollsters in November of 2011 who wrote an op-ed for the “Wall Street Journal” saying —

TAPPER: Really?

BEDINGFIELD: — Barack Obama — yes, Barack Obama should not be the nominee, and, in fact, he should step down and allow Hillary Clinton to take the nomination —

TAPPER: Was it Doug Schoen?

BEDINGFIELD: It was indeed.

TAPPER: I guessed. I guessed.

BEDINGFIIELD: It was indeed.

So, there — look, I think Ax — Ax of all people knows at this moment there’s always going to be concern. Look, was that a great poll for Joe Biden? Of course not. Of course not.

There was a lot of that poll that shows what he’s got to do is juice the base and he’s got to claim his share of independent voters. I mean, fundamentally what that poll shows is actually not a surprise, right? Which is our politics are incredibly divided and hyperpartisan. There aren’t that many voters who are truly open to being persuaded.

And so, for the Biden campaign, what they’ve got to do is focus on energizing the base vote and taking that share of independent voters. And I think — let’s not forget they have a year to make that case and to do that.

Watch above via CNN’s The Lead.