White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients reportedly called an all-staff meeting Wednesday to urge his team to block out the “noise” and focus on the task of governing, as senior aides scramble to contain the political fallout from President Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
While acknowledging that days have been tough since Biden and former President Trump’s showdown in Atlanta, Zients highlighted the Democratic administration’s accomplishments and achievements to White House aides and said governing will be even more important as the election heats up, especially after the Fourth of July holiday, the Associated Press reported, citing a White House official.
Biden himself has begun his own personal outreach, meeting privately with senior Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware and Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, a second White House official and people with knowledge of the conversations told The Associated Press.
Democratic Party leader furious at Biden’s debate avoidance: ‘We don’t know who’s making the decisions’
The Associated Press reported, citing people familiar with the ongoing discussions, that Biden’s reluctance to reach out to senior Democrats and rank-and-file lawmakers has created anxiety on Capitol Hill.
Senior Democrats also expressed anger to Axios over Biden’s reluctance in recent days to reach out to party leaders, much less rank-and-file members facing a tough election year. The lawmakers, who were not named in Axios’ report, took specific issue with Biden’s evasion, saying it wasn’t his performance in the debate itself but how he handled its aftermath that could hurt Democrats’ chances of retaking the House or retaining their Senate majority in November.
Democrats are not satisfied with explanations given by White House staff and Biden himself about his debate performance, and there is deeper dissatisfaction among Democrats who feel Biden should have acted sooner and put themselves in a difficult position by continuing the campaign.
On July 2, 2024, President Biden left the White House for a campaign event in McLean, Virginia. (Andrew Layden/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Zients sought to restore Biden’s confidence in his reelection by noting that the president has a “strong campaign team” and that the White House’s job is to focus on continuing to implement Biden’s policies. He also told staff that Biden has always weathered tough times despite disappointments in his decades in public office.
The chief of staff also urged aides to “stay as a team” and acknowledged that political talk is on the rise but urged them to “ignore it” and remain disciplined, according to the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss Mr. Zients’ private remarks. Mr. Zients also encouraged White House staff to ask questions and provide feedback.
While all-White House staff conference calls are not unusual, Wednesday’s 15-minute connection came as Biden and senior White House officials sought to calm upset lawmakers, donors and other allies in the party amid growing doubts about the 81-year-old president’s ability to run for a second term.
Biden campaign sends staff memo to try to ease post-debate concerns
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients attends the Congressional Picnic hosted by President Biden on the South Lawn of the White House on June 4, 2024. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Major Democratic donors are planning to shift large amounts of money to House and Senate candidates ahead of President Trump’s second term, according to Axios.
The Biden campaign is planning its own all-staff conference calls and “will use more frequent email and all-staff calls to keep all of you up to date on the day’s updates and campaign priorities,” said a memo sent Wednesday by campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez. The memo seeks to downplay the long-term impact of the debate, arguing that the race between Biden and Trump will remain close.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were also scheduled to hold an informal luncheon on Wednesday, and the president was scheduled to host Democratic governors at the White House in the evening.
President Biden listens during a visit to the Washington, D.C. Emergency Operations Center, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Democratic governors who planned to attend in person, according to aides, were Tim Walz of Minnesota, who heads the Democratic Governors Association, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Daniel McKee of Rhode Island, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gavin Newsom of California. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy planned to attend virtually.
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The White House has also been on the defensive over reports suggesting Biden is considering dropping out of the race.
In a comment section on X, Andrew Bates, senior deputy White House press secretary and assistant to the president, disputed a New York Times report on Wednesday that Biden had told allies he was weighing whether to continue his reelection bid in the wake of the dismal debate performance. “That assertion is categorically false,” Bates wrote.
Biden also spoke in an interview on Friday. George Stephanopoulos On ABC News.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
