President Biden is working on calming Democratic anxiety after last week's disastrous debate performance.
WASHINGTON — Top Democrats publicly supported President Joe Biden over the weekend. Meanwhile, his advisers privately pushed back against suggestions that he should step aside. Campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez described replacing him as messy and impractical.
On a tense call with about 40 of Biden's top financial backers, Rodriguez explained the campaign's limitations if Biden stepped aside. She emphasized that he had no intention of doing so.
Most of the campaign's funds would go to Vice President Kamala Harris, according to Julie Chavez Rodriguez. The Democratic National Committee would retain only a smaller portion.
During the call, donors suggested "West Wing"-type scenarios for replacing Biden. Sen. Chris Coons joined in, stressing the process would be messy and predicting Harris would become the nominee.
Sunday’s call was one of several similar conversations Biden’s advisers have had with Democratic officials and donors after his shaky debate performance.
This conversation was one of the more candid ones recently, addressing who might succeed Biden if he stepped aside.
Jen O'Malley Dillon, Biden campaign chair, plans to hold a call with a larger group of donors on Monday night, according to sources.
Meanwhile, Biden’s family, who have the most influence on him, met at Camp David to discuss his campaign's future, as reported by NBC News.
During a photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz, Biden’s children and grandchildren encouraged him to "keep fighting," according to sources.
Some family members recently expressed frustration with the aides who prepared him for the debate. However, a senior adviser called these claims false, and a campaign spokesperson said Biden still trusts his senior staff.
"The aides who prepared the President have been with him for many years, often decades, through both successes and challenges. He trusts them implicitly," said Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz.
On Sunday, the campaign focused on the positive or neutral voter response to Biden's first debate against former President Trump.
"Whenever Trump spoke, the ratings dropped sharply," said Biden campaign pollster Molly Murphy on MSNBC, referring to live panels from Thursday. [Voters] felt the president showed he cares about middle- and working-class Americans. Compared to Trump, he seemed more presidential, likable, and truthful.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on MSNBC, "It was a setback, but setbacks pave the way for comebacks."
On a call with donors, Chavez Rodriguez mentioned the campaign raised $33 million since the debate and received hundreds of new applications.
Coons passionately defended Biden, citing his recent international performances and a rally in North Carolina. He argued that Thursday's debate was just a bad night.
One participant noted that while many on the call still support Biden, “a lot of the participants are frightened.”
“There were tough comments from those on the call. Some were upset about only hearing campaign talking points,” one participant said, adding that some donors even asked for refunds.
Another senior Democratic official, who spoke directly with Biden and his team, said he feels reassured that Biden is staying in the race and described the team's attitude as "powering through."
He mentioned having many “one-off texts and conversations” with peers and predicted the next two weeks would be critical.
“We’ll see polls and a money count. If they’re good, he stays in the race. If not, all bets are off,” the official said. “It will be decided on data, not emotion. It’s too early to make the call.”