As the Biden campaign and the White House attempted to overcome a crisis that threatened to engulf the Democratic Party, President Joe Biden informed major contributors via video call on Monday that he remains the greatest candidate to unseat former President Donald Trump.
An unauthorized third party provided AWN with a tape of the call in which Biden declared, “I’m telling you, I’m not going anywhere, folks.” We know this because the recording was obtained by AWN. “I assure you, I will persevere until the very end, and I will defeat Trump.”
Democrats “can’t waste any more time being distracted” by the intraparty bickering, the president urged the gathering.
We have concluded our discussion of the debate. “Now is the moment to target Trump,” he declared. “We must not let another day pass without revealing his actions; furthermore, we must pursue him.”
In a letter he sent to House Democrats on Monday morning and an unannounced appearance he gave on MSNBC, Biden rejected the findings of polls and analysts who predicted he would lose the election in November. These statements were reinforced in his message.
Democratic funders and other party leaders are worried that Biden’s candidacy could hurt the Democratic ticket in the fall. Whether the president and his campaign’s frantic circling-the-wagons will alleviate their concerns is an open question.
The president admonished Democrats to shift their focus away from his debate performance and any doubts about his suitability for office. He insisted that they return their attention to the point of contrasting themselves sharply with Trump. The conservative Heritage Foundation’s strategy playbook for a possible second term of President Trump, Project 2025, was mentioned by him.
Trump, according to Biden’s frequent portrayal, has “no sense of anything, except himself” and is a liar.
While we wait for him to refute it, we will continue to use his language: what he said, how he said it, and what he plans to do. On the video conference, Biden made the comment that Trump could end up alienating even his own base.
An anonymous donor who was present on the conversation attests that Biden emphasized the far-reaching negative effects of Trump’s plan on women, the LGBTQ community, the economy, and more.
During the question and answer session, Biden took a call from a supporter who wanted to know how he may improve his performance in the upcoming second debate on September 10. The first debate was watched by 51 million Americans, and Biden was criticized for being unfocused and rambling.
While surrounded by family photos and an American flag, Biden, who was dressed in a suit, declared that he would “attack, attack, attack” in that debate and would prepare differently.
The ABC debate’s actual occurrence is highly uncertain.
As the campaign dealt with an influx of last-minute RSVPs caused by the late announcement of Biden’s involvement, Monday’s call started around 40 minutes after it was supposed to commence. More than 300 members of the campaign’s National Finance Committee joined the Zoom call, which began with a passionate support of the president by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, according to a participant who spoke with AWN.
Though they had been harshly critical of Biden and his campaign all week, another caller lauded the president’s remarks on Monday, saying that the campaign appeared to “finally” understand the gravity of the situation.
According to this donor, the most important thing will happen when campaign polls are scheduled to be conducted later this week, after the long July 4 holiday weekend, and we see whether the president’s support is growing or shrinking on the battleground map.
Speaking anonymously so as not to embarrass the campaign, the Democratic donor stated, “It’s still a huge hole to climb out of.” “The road to victory was already long and winding.”
Future of Biden a source of increasing concern
After the June 27 debate, which raised serious doubts about Biden’s capacity to continue as a party candidate and cast doubt on the ability of his campaign to secure sufficient funding, the Biden camp called three meetings of the National Finance Committee.
Among the last speakers on the conference, Democratic National Committee Finance Chair Chris Korge was heard “pleading with us to remain in line,” according to one speaker.
One wealthy Wall Streeter has stated that among executives who were previously inclined to back Biden, there is still “plenty of noise” demanding an alternative, but it is “unclear whether it will penetrate to the bunker,” a reference to the president’s inner circle of longtime advisors who advise him most closely and have backed his choice to remain in the race.
Many of the campaign’s most significant and influential backers are furious with Biden for his stubborn decision to remain in the race. A number of contributors’ concerns over his debate performance have escalated into outright fury, especially given the president’s efforts to discredit the party’s “elites” (those at the top).
During an unscheduled appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday morning, Biden expressed his growing frustration with the ruling class.
A Democratic fundraiser expressed concern that the president’s tone was counterproductive and could discourage contributions. The campaign planned the noon conversation with senior funders on Monday, in part, due to the anger.
The Biden campaign has touted a surge in small-dollar contributions in the last week, but a senior adviser expressed deep concern about the decline in support from large-dollar donors.
The senior adviser stated, “We can’t do this without the money.” He went on to say that the campaign’s advertising, office, and staff budget was a potentially disastrous multimillion-dollar gamble.
Concern over Trump’s unexpected surge in money, which may undo one of Biden’s greatest advantages, was building among Biden campaign insiders even before last month’s Atlanta debate.
Fundraising usually slows down in the summer, according to an adviser to Democratic political contributors who has been on numerous donor calls recently and has also been in touch by phone and text with numerous individual donors.
With all the worry and unpredictability, the adviser expressed his distaste for organizing a Biden-Harris event this week.
According to the advisor, there is still no consensus among donors as to how to move forward, but some are beginning to worry that the Democratic National Committee’s public wringing out of its constituents’ pockets is backfiring.
During a call this week that this individual was a part of, an adviser recalled a lawmaker from Congress as saying, “It’s really hard to change horses when you are galloping down a stream, and it’s really hard to change horses when you are galloping down a stream if the horse doesn’t want you to.” The lawmaker was reminding donors that Biden alone had the decision to withdraw from the race.
That’s about the current situation, the advisor added. “Many people are feeling better now that the polls are fairly stable.”