A former Democratic fundraiser who left the party over what she describes as ignored warning signs about President Joe Biden's condition says Vice President Kamala Harris assured some of the party's largest donors that Biden would not leave the 2024 race just two days before he did.
Lindy Li, who raised money for both Biden and Harris and held a prominent role with the Democratic National Committee, made the account in an interview and in a new book, «Unburdened,» which chronicles the months before Biden suspended his campaign. Representatives for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to Li, Harris held a call with donors on July 19, 2024, telling them there was no way Biden would drop out and that she would stand with him until the end. Biden announced on July 21 that he would no longer seek reelection.
Li argues that Harris was simultaneously positioning herself to inherit Biden's donor network while publicly rejecting any suggestion that she was campaigning for the top of the ticket. She said Harris imposed what Li called a fake rule on her staff barring any discussion of her ascending to the nomination.
«It was all charade,» Li said. «She was auditioning for Biden's endorsement, and the way that she did it was by imposing a fake rule on her staff to not talk about her ascending to the nomination.»
Li said she personally participated in calls where Harris expressed support for Biden and insisted there was no distance between the two of them, even as she cultivated relationships with donors who could soon back a campaign of her own.
After Biden's announcement, Li said Harris moved quickly to lock down support across the party. She described the first 24 hours as an intensive charm offensive, with Harris flattering donors and party figures and making clear that Biden had endorsed her.
Biden did endorse Harris, but the endorsement came in a separate message roughly half an hour after his initial announcement that he was ending his candidacy. Li said Biden did not want to endorse her immediately and that it took him time to do so.
Li also said many of the donors on the July 19 call did not believe Harris's assurances about Biden's viability. She described group chats among wealthy contributors reacting with anger and disbelief, saying they felt they were being misled about a president who appeared to them clearly diminished.
«A lot of us have group chats,» Li said. «And the immediate reaction is what an effing waste of time. What a charade, how fake.» She added: «They were very aware they were being lied to, that Biden was clearly not okay and to be told that he was okay when he was clearly incapacitated. It was insulting.»
Li's account adds to a broader post-election reckoning inside Democratic circles over how many senior figures saw signs of Biden's decline but stayed silent. She has said she switched her party affiliation after her warnings went unheeded.
Her book also describes how people close to Biden understood that his campaign was likely to end after his debate performance in 2024, and in some cases before it. The debate set off weeks of pressure that culminated in his withdrawal.
The episode has become part of the wider debate over transparency within the party during the 2024 cycle. Li's claims focus on the gap between what donors were told privately about Biden's prospects and what later unfolded, a contrast she says left major contributors feeling deceived.
Harris has not publicly responded to Li's characterization of the donor calls. The vice president's office did not immediately comment when asked about the account.