Axelrod: 'Upscale,' 'liberal' NC citizens hit by Helene will 'figure out a way to vote.' Trump-backers in area? Not so much.



Former Obama chief strategist David Axelrod predicted that "upscale," "liberal" North Carolina residents hit hard by Hurricane Helene are "probably going to figure out a way to vote" in the presidential election next month — but suggested that those in the same area who would cast ballots for former President Donald Trump likely won't be as resourceful.

Axelrod — a dyed-in-the-wool leftist — made the eye-popping declaration last week on an episode of his "Hacks on Tap" podcast when speaking about swing states like North Carolina and the devastation Helene left behind.

'I’m not sure a bunch of these folks who’ve had their homes and lives destroyed elsewhere in Western North Carolina — in the mountains there — are gonna be as easy to wrangle for the Trump campaign.'

He called the city of Asheville a "blue dot" in Western North Carolina and said that despite the large-scale displacement in the surrounding area due to Helene, voters in Asheville have the smarts to get their votes in for Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

"Those voters in Asheville are — they’re, you know, the kind of voters who will figure out a way to vote," Axelrod said. "You know, they’re upscale, kind of liberal voters, and they’re probably going to figure out a way to vote."

But as for Trump-backers in the area hit hard by Helene? Not so much, apparently.

"I’m not sure a bunch of these folks who’ve had their homes and lives destroyed elsewhere in western North Carolina — in the mountains there — are gonna be as easy to wrangle for the Trump campaign," Axelrod said.

He added, "I don’t know how that’s all going to play out, but it’s an unpredictable element in North Carolina that has made it maybe a little more interesting" in the run-up to the election.

Axelrod also said that "northern-tier battleground states other than Wisconsin are scary" for Democrats and that "you can't count on them." He added that Harris "needs to find an insurance policy" and a "second act" as the campaign races to the finish line.

How are observers reacting to Axelrod's words?

Fox News pointed out some prominent X users who took issue with Axelrod’s statements:

  • OutKick.com founder Clay Travis wrote, "On his podcast @davidaxelrod says Democrat voters in Asheville, North Carolina are smarter, wealthier and will still show up to vote for Kamala while he thinks Trump voters won’t. This is why Kamala and Biden aren’t helping, they benefit from the disaster."
  • Mollie Hemingway, editor-in-chief of the Federalist, added, "I fear that Axelrod's point is why Harris and Biden are letting these people drown."
  • Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce wondered, "Did ya know that famous Democrat operative David Axelrod figures city Democrats are smarter and more resourceful and will figure out how to vote whereas the dumb Trump deplorables up in the mountains of NC who just lost everything, won't. Was he on the verge of a Kamala cackle?"

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Jen Psaki admits Biden is told to avoid answering impromptu questions from reporters



White House press secretary Jen Psaki admitted on Thursday that the Biden team tells President Joe Biden to avoid answering impromptu questions from reporters.

Psaki made the comments while appearing on CNN's "The Axe Files with David Axelrod."

Axelrod was praising the communications team for managing Biden so well that there's never a surprise from what he says to reporters.

"It seems to me that you guys have done a good job of managing that, because a lot of his interactions are speeches and settings in which you have a pretty good sense going in what he's going to say," Axelrod said.

"I think the thing that's interesting is that he actually takes questions – I mean he took questions, I mean he did a mini press conference yesterday. He takes questions nearly every day he's out from the press," Psaki responded.

"That is not something we recommend, in fact, a lot of times we say, 'Don't take questions,'" she added.

Here's the audio of her comments:

Jen Psaki @PressSec says that she tells President Biden to not take questions when speaking to reporters https://t.co/9lwYFWRBYm
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) 1620334505.0

Psaki immediately followed up to say that the ultimate decision is up to the president.

"You know, but he's going to do what he wants to do because he's the president of the United States," she continued.

Psaki went on to say that the White House press corps is never satisfied and they try to avoid distractions from the media and stay on their agenda.

"We're never going to satisfy the White House press corps and their desires for access, and I think there have been mistakes made in the past of of trying to do that. If you do a press conference, you know, every other week or once a week, that doesn't really satisfy them, they're going to push for more, that's their job," she said.

"What we've tried to do, which has also been maddening I know for the press corps at times, is kind of not get pulled in by distractions," she added.

Psaki also revealed that she plans to step down next year from the position after only one year.

Here's another clip of Psaki's comments:

On a new #AxeFiles, WH @PressSec Jen Psaki speaks candidly about the daily tug-and-pull with the media and the admi… https://t.co/qoREangn4E
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) 1620330056.0