Biden Aides Warned Donors Against Dumping Him for Harris Post-Debate

Aides to then-President Joe Biden aggressively told Democratic donors they were wrong to abandon him after his faltering debate against Donald Trump according to a new book. The upcoming Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House details how staff insisted donors would regret backing Vice President Kamala Harris instead. They warned Harris was unwanted by the party base a blunt claim as Biden clung to his 2024 candidacy despite the June debacle.

The book reveals aides confronted donors in heated calls accusing them of betrayal after Biden’s shaky performance. They argued his decades of experience trumped Harris’s untested leadership despite polls showing her as a weaker option. Staff painted Harris as a liability who’d flop against Trump a view some donors quietly shared but feared voicing publicly.

Biden’s debate stumble—marked by halting answers and lost focus—spooked big-money backers who saw Trump dominate the stage. Aides pushed back claiming donors overreacted to one bad night and ignored Biden’s record on jobs and COVID recovery. They doubled down saying Harris lacked the clout to unify Democrats or win swing states.

Donors had poured 1.6 billion dollars into Biden’s campaign by mid-2024 only to see his odds tank after the debate fallout. Some began eyeing Harris or other names like Gavin Newsom as fresher bets against Trump. Biden’s team countered that switching horses mid-race would fracture the party and hand Trump an easy victory.

Harris faced her own struggles with approval ratings below 40 percent and a border crisis tied to her oversight role. Aides seized on this arguing she’d alienate voters who already doubted her readiness. They framed Biden as the safer bet despite his age and gaffes a stance that held until he dropped out weeks later.

The book notes tensions peaked as donors demanded a new nominee threatening to pull funds if Biden stayed in. Aides held firm warning that Harris’s record as VP offered no edge over Trump’s populist appeal. Their hardball tactics aimed to lock in cash but exposed deep rifts within Democratic ranks.

Biden’s exit in July paved the way for Harris to take the nomination though she lost to Trump in November. The aides’ warnings proved prophetic as her campaign struggled to shed the unwanted label they’d pinned on her. Fight suggests their early panic reflected real fears about her electability borne out in the final tally.

This behind-the-scenes clash shows how Biden’s team fought to salvage his run even as donors saw the writing on the wall. It underscores the party’s scramble to regroup after the debate cratered their 2024 hopes. Harris’s defeat left Democrats rethinking their strategy and the aides’ blunt words as a bitter what-if.