The Political Insider

President Joe Biden was upbeat about the results of Tuesday’s midterm election during a press conference on Wednesday. While Republicans are likely to take control of the House, control of the Senate will not be known until December when there will be a runoff election in Georgia between Sen. Raphael Warnock and challenger Herschel Walker.

Biden told reporters on Wednesday, “We had an election yesterday. And it was a good day, I think, for democracy. And I think it was a good day for America. While we don’t know all the results yet … here’s what we do know: While the press and the pundits are predicting a giant red wave, it didn’t happen.”

Even White House advisers and those around Biden are feeling frisky about the red wave that didn’t happen. One adviser to the President said, “The president made the election a choice between extreme Republicans and the progress of the last 18 months — and voters chose the president’s agenda.”

The avoidance of the red wave by Democrats has Biden saying again that he plans to run for reelection in 2024. And the spirit of those around Biden seem to back that up.

RELATED: Biden Says He’ll Use Constitutional Means To ‘Make Sure’ Trump Will ‘Not Take Power’ In 2024. 

Some Are Feelin’ It, Some Are Not

But the sunny attitude may end at the West Wing doorway. According to FiveThirtyEight, Joe Biden is still a widely unpopular president with a job approval rating of 41%. 

Even the person responsible for saving the 2020 Biden campaign and his ultimate win of the White House, House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), has had reservations about full on support for a Biden 2024 run, remarking to CBS correspondent Robert Costa that Biden “does not have the art of speechmaking.”

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Concerns About Biden Nothing New

Questions about Biden’s age in 2024 are not new. Former White House Adviser David Gergen was blunt about the aging process and voiced concerns about Biden being well into his 80’s by the 2024 election.

Gergen wasn’t the only one with age concerns. In June, former Obama adviser David Axelrod also sounded the alarm about nominating someone as old as Biden, saying, “The presidency is a monstrously taxing job and the stark reality is the President would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue.”

Another problem for Joe Biden could be that a large portion of Americans do not want him to run again. According to a new Economist/YouGov poll, 56% do not want a second Biden run. Of the Democrats polled, 31% don’t want him to run again.

An October Harvard/CAPS Harris poll showed that in a 2024 rematch between Biden and Donald Trump, Trump comes out on top 45% to 43%. 

Joe Biden and his administration might want to enjoy their post-midterm glow while they can. It might not last long.