President Joe Biden is reportedly feeling anxious and angry about polling showing a drop in support in battleground states for his reelection bid.
During a private meeting at the White House in January, Biden shouted and swore after being told that his poll numbers in Michigan and Georgia had plunged over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, NBC News reported, citing a lawmaker familiar with the matter.
The president has been "second-guessing" travel plans and messaging strategies as he feels the growing frustration within the Democratic Party over his campaign's struggle to pull support away from former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.
In an effort to connect with voters, Biden reportedly told his State of the Union speechwriters to ditch the linguistic pomp in favor of plain speech that clearly communicates his first-term accomplishments.
The address, which took place on March 7, has been described as more of a campaign speech than an assessment of the nation's status, as Biden thundered on about what he's done for the nation and why he deserves four more years.
At 81 years old, Biden has, at times, felt overly insulated by protective aides who want to minimize the chances of a gaffe. A career politician, the president is reportedly eager to get out and interact more with voters, according to NBC's sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Some within his party are losing patience, however — both with the president and with his reaction to dips in polling.
"Biden stood up in front of the whole world and said, 'I'm ready. I'm the guy who can take down Donald Trump,'" Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., told NBC. "So, he goddamn well better do it. We don't have time for him to be worried about whether or not people are saying things right or the poll numbers are where they should be. I want focused energy and not defensive anger."
Recent national polling has found Biden trailing Trump, with the RealClearPolitics polling average showing the former president leading the current by 1.7 points nationally. Trump also leads Biden in a sizeable number of swing-state polls.
Even as voters are seemingly not connecting with his message, Biden's reelection campaign has posted strong fundraising numbers, raking in $53 million in February. Trump, meanwhile, is set to spend a hefty sum of his campaign money on his continuously-growing legal fees.
Biden's reelection hopes could also be boosted if Trump were to be convicted in any of his four ongoing criminal cases.
Nicole Wells ✉
Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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