Former President Donald Trump appeared in a D.C. court on Wednesday where he pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the events of January 6.

Yet despite Trump's ongoing legal problems, his immediate predecessor still regards him as a serious threat. 

Obama says Trump has an "intensely loyal following"

According to the Washington Post, former President Barack Obama offered that assessment to President Joe Biden during a White House lunch in late June.

Specifically, Obama is said to have pointed to "Trump's intensely loyal following" along with "a Trump-friendly conservative media ecosystem and a polarized country."

Further, Obama reportedly pledged to do all he can to ensure Biden's success next November, words that were seen by the White House as "a welcome gesture."

Eric Schultz serves as a senior adviser to Obama, and the Post noted that he refused to provide comment on the lunch with Biden.

However, Schultz did tell the newspaper that Obama has put together a strategy on how he plans to approach the campaign.

Obama's "objective is to move the needle"

"We place a huge emphasis on finding creative ways to reach new audiences, especially tools that can be directly tied to voter mobilization or volunteer activations," Schultz was quoted as saying in a statement.

"We are deliberate in picking our moments because our objective is to move the needle," the adviser went on to insist.

Meanwhile, Biden campaign spokesman T.J. Ducklo issued a statement of his own that read, "President Biden is grateful for his unwavering support, and looks forward to once again campaigning side-by-side with President Obama to win in 2024 and finish the job for the American people."

Breitbart pointed out that Biden has gotten bad polling news in recent weeks, with a YouGov/Economist survey finding only 39% of Americans see him as a "strong leader," compared with 54% who said the same about Trump.

Only four in 10 Democrats think Biden is the "strongest" candidate

Most Americans see former President Donald Trump as a “strong” leader but think President Joe Biden is a “weak” leader, according to a YouGov/Economist poll. https://t.co/vAPp7zrfcz

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 29, 2023

Meanwhile, an earlier YouGov/Economist poll concluded that only four out of 10 Democrats believe Biden is their party's "strongest" potential candidate.

Just four in ten Democrats believe Joe Biden, 80, is the “strongest” candidate the Democrat party could nominate for 2024, a recent survey from The Economist/YouGov found. https://t.co/mA2159B7QP

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) July 15, 2023