White House staff were blindsided by Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential race on Sunday.
The US President reportedly told senior aides on Saturday that he was committed to fighting the election, despite weeks of bad publicity following his disastrous debate performance and pressure from senior Democrats to step aside.
He then told them he had changed his mind just moments before his public announcement that he would “stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President”, Politico reports.
The decision was so last-minute that Mr Biden’s staff were phoning delegates ahead of the Democratic National Convention next month when he announced his withdrawal from the race.
Mr Biden summoned Steve Ricchetti and Mike Donilon, two of his closest advisers, to his home in Delaware on Saturday afternoon to draft his withdrawal letter, the New York Times reports.
The trio are said to have worked into the night, with Mr Donilon helping draw up the 325-word letter and Mr Richetti focusing on when and how to inform campaign staff.
Deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini and Anthony Bernal, the senior adviser to First Lady Jill Biden, are also said to have been present for the discussions.
Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to the President, told shocked staff that the “decision came down late”.
She added that the decision had been taken by an extremely small group of people and appeared to imply that she had not been made aware beforehand.
Ms Dunn was one of several advisers who found out about the move exactly one minute before the statement went public, according to the New York Times.
Some White House staff are said to have been shocked and tearful at the decision, while others were relieved following weeks of pressure on the US President.
Kamala Harris, chief of staff Jeffrey Zients and campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon were informed earlier on Sunday.
A senior administration official said Mr Biden decided to step down after failing to shift the attention from his dire debate performance in late June.
Campaign staff in Delaware had concluded a call with state aides just minutes before Mr Biden published a letter when he announced the end of his re-election bid.
“I don’t think a soul in Delaware knew,” an official said.
Cedric Richmond, a co-chair of the Biden campaign, insisted on Sunday morning that the US President was determined to fight on and beat Donald Trump in November’s election.
“I want to be crystal clear. He’s made a decision and that decision is to accept the nomination and run for reelection, win reelection,” he told CBS News.
Mr Biden’s letter ending his presidential run made no mention of a successor, prompting questions early on about whether he would endorse a successor.
He did not issue an endorsement of Ms Harris, his vice president, until roughly half an hour later, offering his “full support” and urging Democrats to unite behind her.
The delay may have been an oversight caused by Mr Biden’s last-minute decision to drop out, and the fact that he only had a small team handling his exit.
It is also possible that Mr Biden’s team wanted to focus media coverage on his legacy and departure from the race, rather than who would replace him.
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