When Joe Biden disembarked from Air Force One early Tuesday morning in California last week, he was visibly shaking.
It was approaching 5:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, and the president had been awake for nearly 24 hours.
As he slowly made his way down the steps of the plane, he struggled to climb into the waiting SUV that would take him to the 8,000-acre ranch in Santa Barbara, where he and his family had just enjoyed a weeklong vacation. His Secret Service agents surrounded him, shielding him from the cameras as one of them helped him into the car.
On the tarmac, first lady Jill Biden looked on, visibly worried. Her husband, who dropped out of the race nearly a month ago, had just finished his grueling journey from Democratic candidate to outgoing president.
Last Monday, Biden flew to Chicago to address the first night of the Democratic National Convention.
Scheduled to speak around 10:30 p.m. (Eastern time), the evening was meant to be his swansong, a farewell to the party faithful and a passing of the torch to his vice president and new Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris.
When Joe Biden disembarked from Air Force One early Tuesday morning in California last week, he was visibly shaking.
In the end, he did not speak until well after prime time, leaving the stage at 12:15 a.m., when most Americans had already gone to bed.
A packed speaking schedule meant a planned video tribute to the president had to be called off at the last minute, as did an expected performance by James Taylor, one of Biden’s favorite singers, in a desperate bid to get him on stage before midnight.
Jill and her daughter Ashley spoke to introduce Biden, and many noted how brief the two women’s remarks appeared to be, though the White House insists neither speech was abbreviated.
But the organisational failure will have done little to help what has been described in recent weeks as a growing sense of “betrayal” by the First Lady over the way the Democratic Party has treated her husband.
Earlier this month, the Mail exclusively reported that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a message to Biden on Saturday, June 20, threatening to go public with her concerns about his candidacy if he did not withdraw from the race. The next day, Biden tweeted a letter confirming his withdrawal, before endorsing Harris.
Pelosi’s ultimatum is said to have infuriated the Bidens and virtually ruined a 50-year friendship between their families.
The Biden clan left Chicago almost immediately after his speech ended. The flight to California took about four hours, during which the president was briefed on foreign security for much of the time. It is unlikely he got much sleep.
Yet far from extraordinary, that image of Biden, shaking with exhaustion as he stepped off Air Force One after his own party had humiliated him on the world stage, was one of many behind-the-scenes dramas in a week so fraught with party infighting that it began to resemble a Shakespearean tragedy.
On Tuesday, the turbulence continued when Michelle and Barack Obama took on keynote addresses at Chicago’s United Center.
While Barack lavished praise on his former vice president, referring to him as his “brother” and thanking him for his service, Michelle notably did not name Biden even once during her impassioned 23-minute speech.
Was it a snub? Experts say yes, adding that the former first lady reportedly refused to speak at the convention while Biden was still in the 2024 race.
Michelle is said to remain angry with the Bidens over their treatment of her close friend Kathleen Buhle, Hunter Biden’s ex-wife.
Buhle has been exiled by the family during a lengthy separation from Hunter dating back to 2017.
Michelle never campaigned for Biden when he was the nominee and, sources say, only confirmed her position as a speaker at the DNC. after He was out of the way.
It was one of many behind-the-scenes dramas in a week so fraught with party infighting that it began to resemble a Shakespearean tragedy. (Pictured: The Obamas.)
Monday night’s organizational failure will have done little to help what has been described in recent weeks as the First Lady’s growing sense of “betrayal” over the way the Democratic Party has treated her husband.
Meanwhile, sitting in the front row, watching it all, was the woman who led the charge against Biden: Nancy Pelosi.
Asked by the Mail on Monday if he was still angry with Pelosi or had spoken to her recently, Biden simply replied: “No, I haven’t spoken to her.”
However, the president is understood to have been eager for revenge, namely with his unconditional endorsement of Harris as the party’s new nominee.
Pelosi and Harris are from California, but they are not close. When Harris first ran for state attorney general in 2010, Pelosi endorsed a rival candidate.
Following Biden’s withdrawal, Pelosi said she favored an open convention rather than a coronation for Harris, about whom she is said to have serious reservations.
There is strong speculation that Biden endorsed Harris just hours after her withdrawal precisely to aggravate Pelosi and prevent her from ousting Harris, as she had done to him.
Television cameras were trained on Pelosi as Biden addressed the convention on Monday. She sat with the California delegation, holding a sign reading “We heart Joe” and awkwardly singing “We love you.”
Biden advisers are keen to stress that Joe and Jill have “moved on” and are “looking forward,” but insiders say otherwise.
Indeed, Biden is also said to have harbored a lingering resentment toward his former boss, after Obama favored Hillary Clinton’s candidacy over his own in 2016.
Earlier this summer, some reports suggested that Obama had privately urged Biden to drop out of the 2024 race. But when the former president’s close friend, actor George Clooney, wrote a damning op-ed in the New York Times, openly calling for Biden to go, it appears the resentment boiled over into full-blown anger.
On Tuesday night, as the Obamas headed to the convention, Harris was holding a campaign rally 90 miles away in Milwaukee. It was no coincidence.
Harris’ decision to sit out was made out of sensitivity and respect for Biden, confidential sources say.
Pelosi (pictured) and Harris are from California, but they are not very close. Pelosi had been in favor of an open convention rather than a coronation for Harris, about whom she is said to have serious reservations.
On Tuesday night, as the Obamas headed to the convention, Harris held a campaign rally 90 miles away in Milwaukee. The decision to skip the event was made out of sensitivity and respect for Biden, people familiar with the matter said.
But Harris did not need the image of a triumphant appearance on stage with Barack Obama. The two are said to be very close friends. Harris was one of the first to support his 2008 campaign, backing him over Clinton. They speak on the phone often.
After Harris gave her final night speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Obama posted his effusive approval on Twitter.
“(Harris) represents the best of America. Let’s get to work,” he wrote.
With just 70 days until the election, Democrats certainly have their work cut out for them if they want to ensure that their own internal problems — brought on by the impeachment of a sitting president — don’t derail Harris’ campaign.