Prior to dropping out of the presidential race on Sunday, President Biden had said there were only three reasons he’d consider ending his presidential campaign: if the “Lord Almighty” told him to, a medical condition, or if his team showed him there was no path to victory. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about this and all she could say was Biden’s reason for exiting the race had nothing to do with his health. But she would “not get beyond that.”
Karine Jean-Pierre is asked what the reason behind Joe Biden dropping was since he said that the only things that could sway him were “the Lord Almighty, a medical condition and if his team showed him that he could not win” pic.twitter.com/OOdIvxg3Qi
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 25, 2024
Biden campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond explained what really forced Biden out: big donors bailed on him.
They “created a self-fulfilling prophecy,” by failing to contribute after the June 27 debate, he said on CNN following Biden's bombshell announcement. "You can't win without money, and then they were going to point the finger at the candidate.
“They were going to blame it on Biden," he added. "For a president that has accomplished so much, it was a no-win situation."
Now that they successfully pushed Biden out of the race, Richmond said it’s time for those donors to “step the f*** up” and support Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign.
So far, it appears they are.
The high-dollar fund-raising world is whirring to life for Vice President Kamala Harris after weeks in which Democratic donors were dejected, demoralized and utterly battered.
Since the announcement of her presidential campaign, Ms. Harris has not only raked in $130 million primarily from small donors, but also gathered big check after big check from billionaires and millionaires as they stockpile money into the newly renamed Harris Victory Fund. Her fund-raisers, armed with a new Harris logo, went to work.
Major fund-raisers — one of whom told President Biden’s campaign just days ago that he thought the campaign could count on only about 25 percent of its allied donors to support Mr. Biden — are now swamped with a flood of interest from donors. (The New York Times)
Join the conversation as a VIP Member