The simmering rift between Joe Biden’s family and staff finally erupted after his disastrous performance at last week’s debate.
The president blamed a cold and a generally “bad night” for appearing frail, confused and having difficulty finishing sentences during the confrontation with Donald Trump.
Biden defiantly declared he would run in the Nov. 5 election and win, despite pressure from some top Democrats to convince him to step aside.
The fallout from the debate gave Biden’s family, including his disgraced son Hunter, ammunition to settle old scores with his staff and become more actively involved.
Joe Biden’s closest family visited the White House over the past week to console him after the debate and plan next steps. They included his sister Valerie Owens and her son Hunter and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden.
The president blamed a cold and a generally “bad night” for appearing frail, confused and having difficulty finishing sentences during the confrontation with Donald Trump.
They blame his staff for failing to adequately prepare him for the debate and, more broadly, for not putting him in a position to showcase his strengths.
“I think the family has seen one mistake after another by key personnel and the debate is probably the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said one of the 13 sources close to the president. NBC.
“After the debate, the supposedly loyal staff, instead of taking responsibility, pointed the finger at the president and said, ‘It’s his fault. ’ I can’t think of any other singular action that would further agitate the Biden family.”
Aides, meanwhile, believe the president’s family is blinded to political realities by emotion and compared their “pointless” meddling to a Shakespearean drama.
“The debate fiasco has opened a way for the family to move on from the personal and begin helping their father and brother, whom they love dearly,” another source said.
Biden’s closest family members visited the White House over the past week to console him after the debate and plan next steps.
Among them were her sister Valerie Owens, her son Hunter and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, along with several grandchildren who attended the July 4 celebrations.
Biden speaks with his son, Hunter Biden, after fireworks on the National Mall with first lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff on the White House balcony.
Biden with granddaughter Maisy Biden and family members watch fireworks from the Truman Balcony at the White House during U.S. Independence Day celebrations at the White House.
Hunter’s presence just weeks after his felony gun conviction and pending trial for tax fraud in particular has rankled staff who feel he needs to keep a lower profile, a sentiment that in turn angers the family.
Jill Biden’s former communications director, Michael LaRosa, defended Hunter’s involvement, noting that despite his past drug problems, he was a Harvard-trained lawyer.
“It was much more effective in the media strategy and in the political fight than the campaign has been so far and they have 250 million dollars,” he said.
‘At the end of the day, (Biden) is extremely close to his children, brothers and sister, and he values their unfiltered advice… and it would make sense that they would be frustrated if they feel like they’re on the outside looking in.’
Some members of the president’s family unsuccessfully called for the removal of his personal lawyer and longtime adviser, Bob Bauer, and his wife, senior White House adviser Anita Dunn.
Bauer played Trump’s role during the debate buildup at Camp David in the days leading up to last Thursday’s disastrous event, as he did in 2020.
Anita Dunn (left), senior adviser to President Joe Biden, and White House Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs Reema Dodin
Bob Bauer, Biden’s longtime personal attorney, is among his closest confidants.
But the family appears not to have gone beyond discussing his removal, as the president has great confidence in his lawyers.
“The president and first lady have full confidence in their team, including Anita and Bob,” said White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients.
“There is absolutely no truth to these baseless and insulting rumours.”
Still, the drama spilled over into the public arena, and Biden reached out to his former chief of staff, Ron Klain, who led debate preparations, to reassure him.
Biden’s family also believes his staff is keeping too close tabs on him out of fear that the gaffe-prone president will blunder.
However, his advisers accuse the family of being overprotective to the extreme.
Staff members also blamed each other, particularly longtime aides, for isolating Biden to the point that he became out of practice at handling unscheduled moments.
The presidential staff has much more confidence in Dunn and Bauer because, unlike his aides who have been with him so long that they are like family, the duo is not afraid to tell him “the truth,” even if he doesn’t like it.
“Anita is one of the most respected people both in the White House and on the campaign trail and in the entire Democratic Party,” said one.
“Without her leadership, there are real fears that we will not be able to recover, rally and win, just as she helped the president do when he rebounded from early 2020 primary losses and defeated Trump.”
Bauer is married to White House senior communications adviser Anita Dunn.
Biden likes to do prep work at Camp David: Above, he and his team prepare for the State of the Union address at Camp David in March.
Polls since the debate show Trump widening his lead over Biden: The multi-aggregator average gives him a 2 to 3.3 percent lead in head-to-head matchups, and a 2.5 to 4.9 percent lead when third-party candidates are included.
Even as some Democratic lawmakers have openly called for Biden to step aside, and many more have done so privately, the most obvious candidates to replace him appear unwilling.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, within minutes of each other, pledged their support for Biden as the nominee earlier this week.
None of Biden’s potential replacements are polling better against Trump than the president, except for Michelle Obama, who leads him by double digits.