Biden and Closest Allies Are Furious After Shocking Development: Report
Anger simmered within Fortress Biden over the weekend as President Joe Biden, battered by a series of polls indicating he had lost touch with voters, came to the realization that re-election was no longer feasible, according to a new report.
NBC reported that Biden was “isolated, frustrated and angry. He felt betrayed by allies who turned on him in his hour of need.”
“He’s really pissed off,” NBC quoted a source close to Biden’s inner circle as saying.
NBC noted that Biden spent the weekend with a select few advisers, excluding Vice President Kamala Harris, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, and campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon.
Several advisers conveyed to Biden that there was no viable path to victory.
Following his poor debate performance on June 27, Biden faced mounting criticism, and in recent days, the chorus of Democrats urging him to step down for the sake of the party's success in November grew louder.
“It became a no-win situation, a self-fulfilling prophecy,” former White House official Cedric Richmond said on Sunday. Without financial backing and support, “it’s impossible to win, and he’s always put country and party first.”
NBC reported that Biden’s loyalists felt the party did not adequately support him.
“Here is a man who has always talked about dignity,” NBC quoted a longtime Biden ally as saying. “And what was happening to him in a very public setting was undignified. Where does the president go to get his dignity back?”
In a sign of how secretive Biden was about his decision, a member of his campaign team reportedly learned of the decision through a news alert.
“No one knew. Kamala didn’t even know,” the source said.
Minnesota Democratic Party Chairman Ken Martin emphasized the need for a swift transition to Harris.
“Everyone I’ve talked to right now agrees that we have to unify quickly,” he said. “The idea of having four weeks of turning the conversation inward is not something I’m particularly excited about. The quicker we can unify our party behind a ticket, the sooner we can get this campaign moving.”
The U.K.’s Daily Mail reported that some Biden supporters were furious after the decision was made public.
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania stated that Biden had been “pushed out.”
Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas expressed her outrage as well.
“I hope the geniuses that pushed the most consequential president of our lifetime out have a plan,” she said.
CNN analyst Bakari Sellers noted that the theory of Biden being forced out by party leaders is gaining traction, according to Fox News.
“My phone is blowing up with people who are pissed off, and the reason they’re pissed off is because they feel like people from on high pushed Joe Biden out the door,” he said.
“A text that I just got from a friend was like, ‘If they pushed Joe Biden out the door, what are they going to do with Kamala Harris?’ They will probably try to push her, too,” he said.