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Dem Megadonors Wanted To Hold Intervention, Convince Biden To Step Down After Debate Implosion
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By WILL KESSLER
Democratic megadonors discussed holding an intervention to convince President Joe Biden to step down as the party’s nominee after Thursday night’s poor debate performance, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Many have criticized Biden’s performance at the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump as poor, with the president appearing to freeze at several points, was often hard to understand and made multiple verbal gaffes. Following the dismal performance, some major Democratic donors spoke of setting up an intervention for the president to convince him to step down from the race, while others hoped Biden would decide to exit on his own after seeing the widespread negative reaction, according to the NYT.
“He deserves the opportunity to reflect and say: ‘I still think I can do this. I still think I am the best choice,’” Democratic donor and friend of the president, Stephen Cozen, told the NYT about what he said to other donors calling for an intervention. “That’s his decision. And I will stick with him until he makes it.”
Ron Conway and Laurene Powell Jobs, members of a group of Silicon Valley megadonors, were racing to talk to other donors about what they described as a “possible catastrophe” after the debate, according to the NYT. A possible solution the donors came up with was finding a way to contact First Lady Jill Biden to convince the president to step down from the ticket.
Dems' Favorite Fundraising Platform Enabling Donations To Nonprofit Linked To Palestinian Terror Org https://t.co/JR2I7E8zi9
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 29, 2024
One of those Silicon Valley donors canceled plans to host a fundraiser featuring Biden later this summer, according to the NYT. Despite the concern of losing momentum in receiving donations, the Biden campaign claimed that they had raised $14 million from online sources following the debate into Friday morning.
Biden’s campaign has been struggling to fundraise at the same rate as the Trump campaign over the past few months, despite starting with a $100 million advantage, according to the NYT. The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee had $212 million at the start of June, while the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee had $235 million.
Among the donors critical of the president following the debate, there was talk about which figure could possibly convince the president to step aside, such as former President Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer, according to the NYT. The donors also speculated who could possibly replace the president as the nominee, with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and California Gov. Gavin Newsom among the options.
Despite being a front-runner as a possible replacement for Biden, Newsom has made repeated statements expressing his support for the president and pledging not to run in the 2024 presidential election.
Biden’s mental acuity has long been questioned by opponents, due in part to being the oldest president in American history, with a second term taking him well into his 80s. Several prominent Democrats who previously defended Biden’s mental acuity were notably quiet following the debate after seeing the president’s performance.
An investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents by special counsel Robert Hur concluded that the president shouldn’t be charged because he appeared as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
President Trump moved swiftly Wednesday to reinforce security in the nation’s capital, ordering an additional 500 National Guard troops into Washington after two Guardsmen were shot just blocks from the White House. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the request during a press briefing, describing the attack as a direct strike on the men and women protecting the city. “We will never back down. We will secure our capital. We will secure our cities,” Hegseth said Wednesday, adding that the president directed him to coordinate with the Army and the Guard to surge fresh forces into D.C. He framed the move as part of Trump’s broader campaign to restore order: “The drop in crime has been historic. The increase in safety and security has been historic.”
Authorities say the two Guardsmen — both members of West Virginia’s National Guard, confirmed by Gov. Patrick Morrisey — were armed and on routine high-visibility patrols when a gunman rounded a corner at 17th and I Street NW around 2:15 p.m. and opened fire. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser described it as a “targeted shooting,” and Metro Police executive assistant chief Jeff Carroll detailed the moment the attacker “raised his arm with a firearm and discharged it at the National Guard members.” The soldiers were rushed to a hospital in critical condition. Law enforcement from MPD, the FBI, ATF, and the Secret Service immediately flooded the scene. One suspect was detained; officials say there is no evidence of additional attackers, but the motive remains unknown.
The president first deployed the Guard to D.C. on Aug. 11 as part of a sweeping law-and-order push to cut crime and clean up the city, a mission launched after former DOGE employee Edward Coristine — known widely as “Big Balls” — was beaten while thwarting a carjacking. Coristine, now at the Social Security Administration, became something of a symbol inside the administration of the city’s lawlessness.
Wednesday’s shooting comes as Trump’s security initiative faces legal headwinds. Although the Guard is conducting patrols, they are not authorized to make arrests under the Posse Comitatus Act, limiting their role to deterrence and support. D.C. officials sued the administration in September, arguing the deployment is unlawful without the mayor’s consent. A federal judge temporarily sided with the city last week, ordering Trump to withdraw the Guard — but had delayed the mandate until Dec. 11 to allow time for an appeal.
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
The Trump administration is halting all Afghan immigration after an Afghan man paroled into the country attacked two National Guard members Wednesday.
The processing of all immigration requests pertaining to Afghan nationals will be “stopped indefinitely,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) declared Wednesday night. The announcement came just hours after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national brought into the country by the Biden administration in 2021, allegedly shot two West Virginia National Guardsmen in the head with a revolver at a Washington, D.C., metro station.
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” USCIS, the agency tasked with managing the country’s legal immigration system, said in a social media statement.
“The protections and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission,” the agency continued.
The shooting occurred at 17th and I Street NW, shortly before 3 p.m. local time. Emergency vehicles were spotted rushing to the scene following the attack, and at least one helicopter landed at the National Mall. Both men are believed to be in critical condition.
Lakanwal was later identified as the alleged shooter. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials told the Daily Caller News Foundation that he is an Afghan national originally paroled into the U.S. by the Biden administration.
“The suspect who shot our brave National Guardsmen is an Afghan national who was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, under the Biden Administration,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a public statement. “These men and women of the National Guard are mothers, fathers, sisters, daughters, children of God, carrying out the same basic public safety and immigration laws enshrined in law for decades.”
“The politicians and media who continue to vilify our men and women in uniform need to take a long hard look in the mirror,” Noem said.
President Donald Trump announced a federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department earlier this year to combat crime in the nation’s capital city, days after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine, more popularly known as “Big Balls,” was severely injured when he attempted to prevent a mob from carrying out a carjacking.
Lakanwal reportedly shouted “Allahu akbar!” before opening fire with a revolver. The shooting is being investigated as a targeted attack.
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