A recent book about the 2024 White House campaign reveals that Joe Biden, then the sitting president, apparently ignored Barack Obama’s attempts to reach him for two weeks prior to Biden officially pulling out of the re-election race last July. After Biden ended his campaign, he didn’t communicate with Obama for another month.
Biden, who is 82 now, served as Obama’s vice president for eight years. However, their relationship reportedly took a hit after Obama was rumored to have influenced a negative New York Times op-ed by George Clooney on July 10, 2024. This piece suggested Biden should resign following a poorly received debate against Donald Trump on June 27.
Just weeks after co-hosting a major fundraiser for the Democratic Party, which raised roughly $30 million, Clooney published a harsh critique claiming Biden “can’t win.” This came at a time when Biden had a noticeable moment of distress during the fundraiser, requiring Obama’s assistance to get off the stage.
As noted by ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl, in his new book “Retaliation: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America,” Obama was waiting for Biden’s response for about two weeks, but his calls went unanswered. The book, released by Dispatch on Friday, sheds light on the 48 hours leading up to Biden’s withdrawal announcement.
After Biden suspended his campaign, he did reconnect with Obama, but it took four weeks before they spoke again, just prior to the Democratic National Convention.
Neither Biden’s nor Obama’s representatives provided comments when approached.
The dynamic between Biden and Obama has been mixed throughout Biden’s presidency; Obama’s charisma often seemed to overshadow Biden’s presence. Sources indicated that Obama’s visits to the White House heightened the tension, making Biden feel somewhat sidelined.
According to a Biden official, “He made Biden feel secondary in the moment, even when his staff was present.”
Biden also declined calls from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was advocating for Congressional Democrats to step back from their support for Biden.
In the book excerpt, Biden shares that he leaned on his closest advisers and family while contemplating his withdrawal, influenced by discouraging polling and increasing calls for his resignation from fellow Democrats.
Following the debate, then-Vice President Kamala Harris was hesitant to reach out to Congressional members for support, fearing it might be misinterpreted as her seeking the nomination herself. This hesitation, according to Karl, was seen as crucial since waiting too long could potentially spark a contentious nomination race.
Despite ending his campaign, Biden quickly endorsed Harris, just 27 minutes later, after she cautioned that any delay could lead to a scramble for the candidacy.
Ultimately, Harris lost the electoral vote to Trump in a significant defeat, marking the first time in two decades a Democratic candidate didn’t win the popular vote.
“Retaliation” is set to be available in bookstores on October 28th.
