Behind the Curtain: Biden's salvation plan
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President Biden in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday. Photo: Allison Joyce/Getty Images
A massive political, PR and personal campaign is underway to reject calls for President Biden to drop his re-election race — and rally Democrats to move on from public debate about age and his future, top officials tell us.
Why it matters: Biden has zero interest in stepping aside — and First Lady Jill Biden and key family members and friends agree, according to people who talk regularly with them.
The intrigue: Biden, who has ducked tough interviews and avoided no-holds-barred press conferences, is now considering both. Look for a town hall or big one-on-one interview this month.
The latest: During a family gathering at Camp David on Sunday, Biden family members, including Hunter, went through with a long-scheduled session with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz. The Bidens insisted the president stay in the race, we're told by people close to them.
- "They're all-in, and want him to stay in," a Biden source told us, adding that the campaign is "charging ahead."
Behind the scenes: Some Biden friends and family blamed longtime aides who had prepped Biden. They complained about everything from data-heavy answers to his makeup to his briefing on camera angles.
- But the president smoothed it over: He called former chief of staff Ron Klain, who led the team, and one of the things they talked about was that neither he nor the family blames the prep.
- Campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz told us: "The aides who prepped the president have been with him for years, often decades, seeing him through victories and challenges. He maintains strong confidence in them."
- Klain, who is expected to lead Biden's prep for the second debate — on ABC on Sept. 10 — told us: "In 38 years of working with Joe Biden, we've had many successes and some failures. I'm always happy to share in the good results and assume my share of the responsibility for the times we've come up short."
State of play: Biden's inner circle argues that one bad night of a scratchy voice and a few mangled answers doesn't warrant ending it all. So they're unleashing the full power of the White House and top Democrats to resist the loud calls for him to give up the race.
- The biggest argument will be that Biden won the Democratic primaries overwhelmingly, and that result is final.
"You guys don't get to decide," a source close to Biden said, referring to high-profile Democrats now second-guessing Biden as nominee. "That's not how this works. We don't have smoke-filled rooms."
- "They just have to cool down," the source added. "We live in a democracy, at least for now."
Based on our weekend conversations with top officials and advisers, here's the Biden survival strategy:
- Dismiss "bedwetting." The official White House and campaign line is this is much ado about nothing — that Biden works so hard it drains his young staff. This attitude is driving elected officials and donors — basically any top Democrat not on the Biden payroll — nuts. They feel it's delusional. Nonetheless, Biden allies are cranking out data and pushing out surrogates to insist he had one bad night, mostly because of a scratchy voice and over-preparation.
- Squeeze polls for juice. Biden allies are circulating polls and focus group results showing the debate did little to change the dynamics of the race. They're ignoring contrarian results — like a CBS/YouGov poll out Sunday that shows a surge in voters who think Biden is not up for the job. If you're to believe the polls: Voters thought Biden lost the debate and seemed too old. But there's little evidence they're moving fast to Trump. Both seem true.
- Warn of chaos. Biden allies are making plain in private conversations the perils of an open convention — and the risk of picking a Democrat even more unpopular than Biden, namely Vice President Kamala Harris. They know Biden just needs to make it to the Democratic convention in Chicago, which opens eight weeks from today. After that, unity is the only choice.
- Limit dissent. Biden allies helped orchestrate the supportive tweets by former Presidents Clinton and Obama. Those happened after furious back-channeling by allies. Truth is, that was the easy part.
- Keep elected leaders close. The White House knows Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are deeply concerned that an unpopular Biden could cost them seats on Election Day. Their members in tough races are scared, and several plan to run away from Biden. Former Sen. Tom Harkin, who served with Biden in the Senate for 20+ years, said in an email to supporters that the debate was "a disaster from which Biden cannot recover."
- Get the donor class to chill. Jeffery Katzenberg and other top Biden backers are working the phones to reassure the deep pockets, while the campaign and DNC keep turning out fundraising appeals and highlighting successes. Some donors are blaming the staff — not the man on stage. John Morgan, a Florida personal-injury-law magnate who's a top Democratic donor, tweeted Sunday that Biden's debate-prep team is guilty of political malpractice: "Format was a disaster for him and a plus for Trump. He over practiced and was drained."
- Prove vitality. Words can't capture how elated top officials were that Biden was as vigorous as he was at a rally in North Carolina the day after the debate. They're looking for as many opportunities as possible to show that he's still on his game and not too old for the gig. They know words are useless — they need vitality in action.
- Ignore/engage the media. On the one hand, Biden allies want everyone to ignore the prominent columnists who loved Biden and are now calling for his resignation. On the other, the campaign and White House are deeply engaged with reporters (like us) writing about presidential fitness.
What's next: Biden's kitchen cabinet sees a recipe for a narrow victory that includes a grand-slam speech at the Democratic convention in Chicago + a strong showing in the next second debate + positive economic news in the fall (maybe a Fed rate cut).
The bottom line: Biden's camp believes voters will give more weight to Biden's judgment and record than to his grandpa gait or fading debate dexterity. It's one of the greatest gambles in the history of politics. Once again, Biden's team is telling Democratic voters: You just have to believe.
