A recent report from The Washington Post reveals that President Joe Biden and his team made several serious mistakes following the June 27 debate, which have upset their close allies when they needed their support the most.
Firstly, after the debate, Biden spoke very briefly and quietly at fundraisers in New York and New Jersey. Donors were surprised by his short speeches, about six minutes long in Long Island, and he left without answering any questions. In New Jersey, he spoke so softly that people had trouble hearing him even though he was talking about policy.
Secondly, Biden’s team didn’t fully understand how bad things were until several days after the debate. They didn’t start reaching out to worried Democratic leaders until nearly six days later, on a Tuesday afternoon. By Monday, a Democratic member of Congress said that everyone was losing confidence, and things only got worse throughout the week.
Criticism also came over the campaign’s response to the situation. Biden’s supporters received messages that some felt were too positive and didn’t address how serious the problems were. One member of the House said the campaign did a “terrible” job handling things after the debate.
Despite some public support, there are doubts among Biden’s allies about his chances of winning again. The White House and campaign have been urging supporters to publicly back Biden, but privately, some people have doubts. Reports say that some believe there’s “no path” for Biden to win again.
Lastly, concerns are growing about donors leaving Biden’s campaign. While some big names have publicly distanced themselves from Biden, insiders say the situation is even worse privately. They estimate that for every person who wants Biden to keep running, there are ten who think he should step aside.
