David Axelrod criticizes Biden for focusing on himself during presser: 'go back to the drawing board'

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Biden addresses complaints and accomplishments from first year in office

President Biden held a press conference Wednesday fielding questions on his job performance during first year in office.

Former President Obama's senior adviser, David Axelrod, criticized President Biden's presser on CNN Wednesday for focusing too much on himself and not on the issues that American people are struggling with. 

Biden touted a list of his accomplishments, including the long hours he works at the White House, his plans to raise money for Democratic elections, and his plan to make his case to the American people … so they learn more about his accomplishments.

"I've said it many times you cannot jawbone people into feeling better," Axelrod said on "The Situation Room."

"So I didn't think it was a very impressive list, and I'd probably go back to the drawing board," he continued.

"I'm not complaining. It's, you know, 12, 14 hours a day. No complaints. I really mean that sincerely," Biden said. "I'm doing a lot more work is being in a situation where I'm able to … be deeply involved in … these off-year elections. We're going to be raising a lot of money. We're going to be out there making sure that we're helping all of those candidates."

President Biden speaks during a news conference in the White House on Jan. 19. (Oliver Contreras/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Axelrod said, "He says he wants to go out and talk to people and make the case. But really, I think what would have landed better with people is, that he wanted to get out and talk to people about what's going on in their lives and respond to them – rather than try and make the case about how he's doing."

Gas station in San Diego, California, U.S. November, 9, 2021. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo)

And if Biden wants to help Democrats win elections, what would help "the most" is tackling his low approval ratings, according to Axelrod.

A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in January found Biden's approval to sit at 33%, with a 53% disapproval. Some main issues cited were the pandemic, the economy, and foreign policy. 

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Furthermore, a Fox Business poll found in December that the majority of Americans said 2021 was a bad year for their families and that they were not hopeful about the country's future.

Former President Obama and David Axelrod (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Axelrod said Biden could heal his bleeding poll numbers by "being actively engaged on the things that people are most concerned about."

"You know, he had a difficult task today because he wanted to make clear that he has accomplished a lot, and there are a lot of things he has done. But we're in a country where 28% of Americans feel we're on the right track," Axelrod said.