When Mitch Landrieu discusses his ideal opponent for President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, he acknowledges it sounds like he’s describing Joe Biden.
“I would like somebody that could restore America’s stature in the world on day one,” the Democratic former New Orleans mayor said in a televised edition of “The Axe Files,” airing Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on CNN.
“I would like somebody that knows exactly what they’re doing, because they’ve done that before, that can stabilize and just rebalance the country for four years,” he told CNN’s David Axelrod, who countered that it sounded like Landrieu was describing the former vice president.
“I think I am. Honestly,” Landrieu said. “If I had to pick today, I would – and he could take over tomorrow, and – you know, life would be a lot better for everybody.”
“Plus, he understands working-class folks in a way that most people don’t,” Landrieu added, noting that an ideal 2020 Democrat would have “experience” and “a good worldview.”
“All that stuff should matter more to the world at the moment than anything else,” he said.
Landrieu, who was catapulted into the national spotlight as New Orleans removed the last of its Confederate monuments, is himself seen as a 2020 prospect. In an interview on “The Axe Files” in July 2017, Landrieu played coy on the idea, saying he was “not running for president,” but that “you’d never rule out running (for) anything.”
In an interview with CBS News that aired Thursday, the President said it would be “a dream” to run against Biden in the next election. Biden did not respond to Trump’s comments. CNN polling from January 2018 found Trump lagging behind Biden in a hypothetical 2020 match-up by 57% to 40%.
CNN’s Clare Foran contributed to this report.