A top adviser has said in an upcoming book that former President Joe Biden ruined the campaign hopes of former Vice President Kamala Harris, by staying in the race too long before bowing out.
According to The Guardian, David Plouffe, who managed former President Barack Obamaâs winning 2008 presidential campaign and was a senior advisor in Obamaâs White House, was recruited to help with Harrisâ campaign and her ânightmareâ 107-day sprint against President Donald Trump.
âOriginal Sin: President Bidenâs Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,â authored by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, quotes Plouffe as saying that Harrisâ campaign against Trump was âa f*cking nightmare.â
âAnd itâs all Biden,â Plouffe was reported as saying while reflecting on Bidenâs decisions to run for re-election and then to continue on for more than three weeks after his debate against Trump went disastrously, while raising questions about his mental acuity and age. âHe totally f*cked us.â
Plouffe, alongside several former Obama staffers, has been openly critical of Biden, particularly regarding his role in the Democratic loss. Following Harrisâs defeat, he shared a post on X stating that her campaign had started from a âdeep hole.â Soon after, he deleted his account.
The book recounts how Plouffe received calls from donors expressing concerns about Bidenâs waning energy, cognitive abilities, and speech delivery. In response, he pressed the White House and the Democratic Party on their confidence in Bidenâs ability to secure another election victory and was consistently reassured that he could.
Tapper, CNNâs chief Washington correspondent, and Thompson, a national political correspondent for Axios, interviewed around 200 sources for their book, including members of Congress, White House officials, and campaign insiders.
Some had raised concerns about Biden, with one senior aide who quit the White House, told Tapper and Thompson that âwe attempted to shield him from his own staff so many people didnât realize the extent of the decline beginning in 2023.â
âI love Joe Biden. When it comes to decency, there are few in Politics like him. Still, it was a disservice to the country and to the party for his family and advisers to allow him to run again.â
Another Democratic strategist said Bidenâs insistence on seeking re-election was âan abomination. He stole an election from the Democratic party; he stole it from the American people.â
