Karl Rove on Tuesday agreed with President Barack Obama’s reported claim that former Vice President Joe Biden does not have the same intimate bond with the electorate as Obama had in 2008, especially in Iowa.

“Joe Biden doesn’t seem to have the same magic,” the former White House Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush told “The Story.”

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“The other thing is the Obama people don’t seem to have rallied around Joe Biden as you would have expected,” Rove said.

Obama has largely stayed on the sidelines to date, refraining from making any formal endorsements, though he has issued general warnings to the party to avoid calls for radical upheaval in their policy pitches.

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But a new Politico Magazine report gives a clearer picture of what Obama is worried about -- claiming he has said in private he'd speak out against Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., if it looked like he could actually win.

The same Politico report, meanwhile, addressed Obama's relationship with Biden, whom he has not yet endorsed, despite Biden serving as vice president in his administration -- and routinely touting their relationship on the stump.

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The Politico piece said Obama recalled to one candidate who came to him for advice how he himself had a bond with the voters that has since faded. He reportedly added, “And you know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden.”

Biden says he never sought Obama's endorsement.

Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.