Biden campaign warned after Trump’s easy Iowa win as Harris vows victory

Former President Barack Obama’s ex-campaign strategist David Axelrod said Tuesday that the Biden re-election team needs to get ready for a tough race against the “formidable” Donald Trump — one day after VP Kamala Harris vowed the Democratic ticket would defeat whomever Republicans nominate.

“The president and his campaign need to get into gear and they need a message,” Axelrod told “CNN This Morning.”

“And they need a message that takes in not just democracy but the day-to-day concerns that people have, and they need to prosecute it every single day through every single surrogate,” he added.

Biden’s team has long argued that Trump poses an existential threat to American democracy following his attempts to remain in power after his loss in the 2020 election.

Surveys have shown Trump, 77, leading Biden, 81, head-to-head in the popular vote despite facing four criminal cases and a total of 91 counts/

“Let’s all be aware — and Trump proved again yesterday — he is not a normal candidate and he is a pretty formidable candidate,” Axelrod added. “And now he’s on the ballot.”

The longtime Obama ally has become known for his criticism of Biden’s re-election effort, which has at times irked the White House.

In contrast to Axelrod, Harris struck a confident tone about Biden’s prospects.

“Let me just tell you this: No matter who the Republican nominee is, we’re winning. We’re winning,” Harris told ABC News ahead of the Iowa caucus.

“If it is Donald Trump, we beat him before and we’ll beat him again.”

Biden himself has dubbed Trump the “clear front-runner on the other side at this point.”

“Here’s the thing: this election was always going to be you and me vs. extreme MAGA Republicans. It was true yesterday and it’ll be true tomorrow,” he wrote on X after Trump’s emphatic victory in the Hawkeye State.

Barring a dramatic turnaround, Americans will likely be faced with a Trump-Biden rematch on Nov. 5.