A new report on former President Barack Obama suggests the former president doesn’t have faith in Joe Biden’s chances to connect with voters in states, like Iowa, that made his 2008 campaign successful.

Politico’s Ryan Lizza reported on the 2020 Democratic candidates who met Obama at his office in D.C. this year, seeking his advice on how to win the White House. Lizza reported that as Obama provided advice to the candidates who met with him, it also gave him a chance to learn about them so he and his advisers can figure out who is the most likely person to defeat President Donald Trump.

Here are some of Obama’s biggest takeaways so far, per Lizza:

“Sometimes he offers candid advice about his visitors’ strengths and weaknesses. With several lesser-known candidates, according to people who have talked to him or been briefed on his meetings, he was blunt about the challenges of breaking out of a large field. His advice is not always heeded. He told Patrick earlier this year that it was likely “too late” for him to secure “money and talent” if he jumped in the race. Occasionally, he can be cutting. With one candidate, he pointed out that during his own 2008 campaign, he had an intimate bond with the electorate, especially in Iowa, that he no longer has. Then he added, “And you know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden.”

The piece also reported that while many Democratic hopefuls met with Obama over the last few months, Biden was not among them. The significance of this is debatable though since the article notes that “as a rule of thumb, the closer one is to Obama personally, the less important the West End summit is.” Joe Biden, “one of only two candidates who Obama knows at a familiar, rather than strictly professional level, was an ‘exception.'”

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