President Joe Biden is one of the two likely frontrunners in the 2024 presidential election.
While he leads the way for the Democratic nomination, Biden struggled in head-to-head polls against GOP winner Donald Trump. Biden has grown angry in private conversations about his position in the polls, according to a new report.
What Happened: Recent polls showed Biden was struggling in key swing states, an item that could make winning re-election tough for the current president.
A new report showed Biden has grown frustrated with his poll numbers. NBC said Biden began shouting and swearing in a private meeting in January when told his poll numbers for Georgia and Michigan dropped.
One of the reasons cited by Biden's team was his handling of the Middle East conflict.
"President Biden makes national security decisions based on the country's national security needs alone — no other factor," a White House spokesperson told NBC.
Since the private meeting, Biden has grown increasingly frustrated and often second-guessed items such as campaign strategies and travel decisions, according to the report.
Biden has been tightly watched by his staff, scared of misspeaking at events or getting caught off guard with questions.
The new report came as Biden's recent visit to Michigan saw the president not able to have the press present to hear questions from supporters.
Biden wanted to spend more time meeting voters face-to-face according to the report.
The president also questioned if he should listen more to his gut or his advisors, given his past success in politics, but new concerns over his age.
"If you try to change the person, you're making a mistake. Let the president go out there and do his thing," a former Biden administration worker said.
Why It's Important: The anger shown in private by Biden in January could be leading to a change of pace in the president's campaign.
Since his State of the Union speech, Biden has traveled to multiple swing states, including Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. Plans also call for trips to Arizona and Nevada soon.
Biden won six of the seven swing states in the 2020 presidential election, including five that flipped from Trump, who won them in the 2016 election.
A recent Morning Consult poll showed Biden with a narrow 44% to 43% lead among national voters against Trump.
Polls for swing states showed Trump dominating the race, which will likely make the seven states a large focus of the president moving forward.
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