Private Democratic call fuels insider anger over Biden’s debate debacle

There is growing concern within the Democratic Party leadership that leaders of Joe Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee are not taking seriously enough the impact of the president’s troubling debate performance earlier this week.

DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison held a call Saturday afternoon with dozens of committee members across the country, a group of some of the party’s most influential members. He did not acknowledge Biden’s weak performance on Thursday evening, nor the avalanche of criticism that followed.

Several committee members who spoke on the phone and were granted anonymity to speak about the private conversation described feeling manipulated, as they were asked to ignore the party’s dire situation. They said the call may have exacerbated a widespread sense of panic among elected officials, donors and other stakeholders.

Instead, the people said, Harrison offered what they described as a rosy assessment of Biden’s path forward. The chat function was disabled and no questions were allowed.

Those best positioned to replace him, including Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, reiterated their support for Biden after the debate.

Many are eagerly awaiting the first major round of public polls after the debate to determine their next steps.

Polls conducted shortly after the debate by CNN and 538/Ipsos showed that most debate viewers thought Trump did a better job than Biden. But the two men’s approval ratings remained largely unchanged, just as they had been following Trump’s conviction in New York on charges that he illegally participated in a hush-money scheme to influence the 2016 election.

In a subsequent appearance on MSNBC, Harrison downplayed the significance of the conference call, which he said was part of a regularly scheduled communication to discuss the state of the race and the upcoming national convention with the DNC’s many elected members across the country. country.

Biden and his campaign have sought to project confidence after Thursday’s debate, in which the president, already battling serious concerns about his physical and mental condition, delivered a performance marked by repeated stumbles, awkward pauses and a soft speaking style that was often difficult to understand.

Shortly after Saturday’s DNC call, the Biden campaign released a memo from senior adviser Jen O’Malley Dillon emphasizing that the debate had no tangible impact on the election.

According to O’Malley Dillon, the data shows on all the important points that it has not changed the perception of the American people. Our supporters are more enthusiastic than ever, and Donald Trump has only reminded voters why they fired him four years ago and why they have failed to broaden his appeal beyond his MAGA base.

She added: If we see changes in the polls in the coming weeks, it won’t be the first time that exaggerated media stories have caused temporary drops in the polls.

Meanwhile, Biden spent much of Saturday reaching out to wealthy donors in the famed Hamptons, an enclave of New York.

I didn’t have a great night, but neither did Trump,” Biden said about the debate at a rally in East Hampton.

Biden said of Trump: The most important lesson was his lies.

Trump, meanwhile, was elated by Biden’s performance at a rally on Friday and suggested on his social media platform on Saturday that Biden had buckled under the immense pressure.

First print: June 30, 2024 | 07:47 AM IST