Vice President Kamala Harris held a call with 300 major Democratic donors that left many feeling "frustrated" and considering the meeting "mismanaged."
According to an NBC News report, sources familiar with the call stated that one person described the call as "mismanaged" and "rushed," adding that expectations were poorly managed, and some participants felt admonished. This individual, along with two other sources, mentioned that many donors had hoped for insights on how to proceed following President Joe Biden's poor debate performance and the increasing calls for him to step down.
Instead, donors left the call feeling disappointed, frustrated, and without any new or helpful information. The call, which was intended to rally support and provide direction, ended up leaving many participants feeling disillusioned and unclear about the campaign's future strategy.
The call had been organized by Jen O'Malley Dillon, the chair of Biden's campaign, rather than the campaign's finance team. One of the sources who participated in the call noted that the donors represented a wide range of views. Some were staunch supporters of Biden, others were skeptical about his chances moving forward, and many held opinions that fell somewhere in between these two extremes. This diversity of perspectives added to the overall frustration and disappointment expressed by the participants.
One source emphasized that the criticism was directed at the organization of the call, not at Vice President Harris herself. Harris, who was invited to join the call by Biden's senior advisors, praised the president during the discussion, according to campaign officials.
As per campaign officials, Kamala Harris said, "We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: Our President, Joe Biden. With every decision he makes in the Oval Office, he thinks about how it will impact working Americans. And I witness it every day."
Harris also spoke positively about the Democrats' chances of defeating former President Donald Trump. "Something I believe in my heart of hearts," Harris said, according to campaign officials. "It is something I feel strongly you should all hear and should take with you when you leave. And tell your friends too. We are going to win this election. We are going to win."
On the other hand, Independent Senator Joe Manchin has joined the growing list of lawmakers urging President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race. This brings the total number of Democratic and Independent lawmakers advocating for Biden to step aside to 37.
"I came to decision with a heavy heart that I think it's time to pass the torch to a new generation," Manchin told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.
"I want him to be the president in the last five months of this presidency of his term, to do what he can do is unite our country, to calm down the rhetoric and be able to focus attention to peace in the world," Manchin said.
Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) have also called on Biden to leave the race, as have numerous House members.
