Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder dismissed concerns over Biden’s poor poll numbers during an appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher on Friday evening. Despite the fact that Biden is consistently polling behind Trump in swing states, Holder is confident that his poll numbers will rise with assistance from the mainstream media.
Maher pointed to the president’s declining approval rating among historically reliable Democrat voting blocs. “The fact that the Democrats by every poll I read, I would just say, losing their base. I mean, if you look at non-white working class voters, there has been a 61-point shift. That’s an incredible amount from 2012. That’s in 12 years. Obama in 2012, when you were the Attorney General, I think won it by 67 points, that demographic. Biden won it by 48,” Maher said.
“Well, I think first off, you’re measuring March against November. We’re looking at what where people are right now. I think you’ll probably see a movement with regard to working-class people of all races towards Biden by the time you get to November,” Holder said.
The former attorney general added that Barrack Obama was “an extremely an unbelievably popular African American running for the first time” in dismissing concern over Biden’s declining popularity among black voters.
He then suggested that Biden’s poll numbers will rise thanks to help from the mainstream media.
“I mean, the deal is there’s work to be done. But I’m actually optimistic that if we stay committed, focused, and as the media turns its attention to making this a binary choice between a person who’s got some age and cognitive issues… that would be Trump,” Holder said. “Against somebody who has actually accomplished a-lot.”
He concluded by saying that Americans will look back on the Trump years and conclude that they are better off now than they were then, an assertion that defies months of polling data showing dissatisfaction with Biden’s policies, particularly on the economy.
Friday was not the first time Holder has said the quiet part out loud. After Trump was indicted by Alvin Bragg back in June, Holder told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki that the indictments will have “electoral effect.”
“Well the notion that you could have a trial, defend it, be convicted, somehow win the election, be sworn in as president or whenever it happens; that seems inconsistent with our notion of fairness, of the rule of law,” Holder said. “At that point, I would hope that an impeachment proceeding might be considered – not only considered, brought, and ultimately he would be removed from office.”
“Ya know I’m not a political pundit, but I think at some point, you certainly won’t get beyond, ya know, the Trump cult base; but for people who are on the fringes of that, on the outside of that, are likely to be negatively impacted by all of these cases brought against the former president,” he continued. “And I think that will have some electoral effect.”