Tipsheet

There's No Way Biden's Campaign Chair Said this During a Donor Call

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  July 02, 2024 3:30 PM

The Biden political operation demonstrated its knack for gaslighting in yet another donor call, this time with Jen O’Malley Dillon, the campaign chair. The Biden camp has been putting out fires everywhere since the president’s abysmal debate against Donald Trump. From donors who are furious, with some inquiring about refunds, to base voters and congressional Democrats floating replacement candidates, the Biden team is trying to quell an internal revolt which, while unlikely to succeed, bodes poorly for party unity come November this late in the election calendar. 

The president’s age and health were always lingering issues this operation deflected or obscured from the public. Any concerns that were raised were often dismissed. This White House is known for its ‘don’t believe your lying eyes’ routine, which got obliterated when Trump easily and surgically dissected Biden before a national audience. Voters felt Biden was too old. This debate reinforced that sentiment, which needs to be tackled in some fashion. The president’s camp is now sticking to the same playbook that has him losing in key swing states. As of now, Donald Trump is winning, and instead of being a soundboard for worried donors, the campaign is touting a ‘Biden has never been healthier’ line that would make Baghdad Bob blush (via CNN): 

President Joe Biden’s campaign chair on Monday told members of the campaign’s National Finance Committee that the team is “clear-eyed, not pollyannish” after the president’s poor debate performance, two participants on the call told CNN, but defended Biden’s health and offered no indication he was reconsidering his bid for a second term. 

Jen O’Malley Dillon held the virtual meeting with about 500 donors, whose pictures spread across 21 pages of Zoom screens. The meeting was called in hopes of easing the tensions and answering questions top Democrats have been raised in response to Biden’s dismal debate performance Thursday night. 

Dillon offered no indication that Biden was considering changing course, three participants on the call told CNN, as she offered a staunch defense of his health. She pointed to the president’s health report released by his doctors earlier this year, which declared him fit to serve. 

“He’s probably in better health than most of us,” Dillon said, according to two of the participants, one of whom said the comments were offensive and dismissive of the real concerns about Biden in the wake of his debate performance. 

A member of the National Finance Committee who participated in the call said it was disappointing that the top Biden official sought to downplay the concerns, rather than hear them. 

Questions were allowed, but they were read by staff members, rather than donors themselves.

For those who refuse to drink the Kool-Aid here, just read the fundraising email that was sent out over the weekend post-debate, which could only be read as a total meltdown by this campaign: Biden is the nominee, and there’s nothing you can do about it, even if you’re right about him being too old.  

There may not be a physical rope line corralling the press and the Democratic Party donors, but it’s there—and they’re subjecting scores of their supporters to this lie that Biden is fine, cogent, and does backflips at late hours. The president reportedly can only function between 10 am and 4 pm, a leak to Axios, which I’m sure didn’t sit well with the president’s senior staff. It wouldn’t shock me if it’s true, but no one can get an answer on anything because this campaign is adamant that Biden is the healthiest man alive. 

No one believes this, kids. You’re losing, and if this becomes a situation where this is the best Biden can be, he will lose in a landslide to Trump. If I were a Democrat, shame on you for setting this party up for failure in 2024, but as a Trump Republican, all I can say is thank you for keeping Mr. Magoo and convincing him to stick around. If things don’t change, one can easily see election night being a throwback to a 1980-style blowout. 

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I wonder how long this ‘Biden’s fine’ line lasts, especially since every voter knows he’s being held together by Ensure and duct tape.