With the 2024 presidential election just one year away, new polls indicate that former President Donald Trump has leapfrogged President Joe Biden in several key swing states.
Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney says the former president has done so by spinning the narrative around his legal battles.
What To Know: New poll data from the New York Times and Siena College showed Biden was behind Trump in five of the six most important swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania; Biden had a slight lead only in Wisconsin.
The polls found that many Americans are concerned about Biden's age and are dissatisfied with how he has managed the economy over the past few years.
"Everything is going Trump's way," Mulvaney said Monday on CNBC's "Squawk Box."
Trump, who is testifying in a New York civil fraud trial, faces more than 90 criminal charges from four separate indictments. He's been able to spin the charges in his favor by "successfully casting himself as a victim of a weaponized government," the former White House chief of staff said.
At the same time, Biden just can't get out of his own way, Mulvaney said. It's not just Republicans who are pointing to Biden's age as an issue, it's his own party, he added.
Still, plenty of people are quick to point out recent verbal slips from Trump, who is just three years younger than the current president. The New York Times argued last week Trump doesn't have the same edge he used to either.
Furthermore, additional findings from the aforementioned polls showed that if Trump were to be convicted, his support in swing states could fall by about 6%, which could be enough to change the outcome of the election, per Reuters.
"It's going to be a close toss-up election between the two of them," Mulvaney told CNBC.
"Right now, I think Donald Trump is a slight favorite to beat Joe Biden in 2024 and I never thought I'd say that."
Read Next: Donald Trump Reportedly Outlined Plan For Punitive Actions Against Critics In Potential Second Term
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Flickr.
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