President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE claims he could have defeated President Obama in a head-to-head matchup.

“President Obama said that he thinks he would have won against me. He should say that but I say NO WAY! — jobs leaving, ISIS, [ObamaCare], etc.” Trump tweeted on Monday afternoon.

President Obama said that he thinks he would have won against me. He should say that but I say NO WAY! - jobs leaving, ISIS, OCare, etc. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2016

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In a CNN podcast hosted by David Axelrod on Monday, Obama said a message of optimism, like his in 2008, could have defeated Trump's more divisive brand of populism.

Axelrod, who served as chief strategist for Obama's presidential campaigns and as a senior adviser in Obama's first administration, tweeted about the president-elect's response on Monday evening.

Didn't take long for @realDonaldTrump to react. It would be fun to see THAT race! To hear full @POTUS podcast: https://t.co/khM253oHKc https://t.co/XxFE0B0D1E — David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) December 26, 2016

Recent approval polls by Rasmussen and Gallup both pin Obama’s approval rating at 56 percent. A Dec. 21 poll from USA Today has Trump at 41 percent — 15 points lower than the outgoing president.