In a recent report, President Biden’s aides have revealed that the commander-in-chief has been privately comparing himself to former President Obama, hinting at a long-standing rivalry between the two men.
According to two Biden aides who spoke with Axios, the president has reportedly claimed that “Obama would be jealous” when discussing his perceived accomplishments.
The report also sheds light on the frustrations experienced by Biden’s aides, who believe that the Obama team undervalued Biden’s extensive experience in foreign policy, Congress, and his ability to connect with people through “grip-and-grin politicking.”
A former Biden aide bluntly stated, “The Obama people thought Biden would suck as president. They didn’t think he’d be organized enough to execute.”
This sentiment is echoed by a former White House official, who asserted, “We do have too many Obama people who don’t care about Joe Biden. It’s about them.” When faced with suggestions from Obama’s former staff, Biden’s team often responds with, “We’re not Obama,” according to a senior Democrat.
Biden privately in 'rivalry' with Obama, former president's staff predicted Biden 'would suck as president' https://t.co/1fbYay08Zs
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The disagreements between Biden and Obama span more than a decade, with various books and interviews from the Obama era exposing significant policy differences.
A notable example is the 2014 Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea. As revealed in an excerpt from “The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore Foreign Policy After Trump” by Politico’s Alexander Ward, Biden believed that Russia should “pay in blood and money” for its actions, while Obama disagreed.
Despite these reported tensions, the White House deputy press secretary, Andrew Bates, has firmly denied any strain in the relationship between Biden and Obama.
Bates stated, “President Biden does not make such comments in private. As President Biden has said, President Obama is family to him.” He emphasized the close “personal bond” between the two leaders and their agreement on key issues such as building an economy that benefits the middle class and protecting critical freedoms.
Bates also highlighted the strong support for Biden’s leadership and agenda from Obama, his team, and alumni of the Obama-Biden Administration, many of whom currently serve in the Biden presidency.
The spokesperson for the Office of President Barack Obama further reinforced this support, mentioning an event hosted by the Obama Alumni Association for Biden’s re-election campaign, where attendees chanted “Fired up, ready to go” in support of the president.
