President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign staff received official word that he was dropping out of the race nearly 20 minutes after it was announced on social media. When the email finally arrived, it contained Biden’s post on X.
“Team, I’d like to share with you the letter from President Biden that was just released. We will have more information later this afternoon,” Biden campaign managers Jen O’Malley Dillon and Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in an email to all staff that was time-stamped at 2:03 pm ET. “Please keep an eye out for an invitation to join an all-staff conference call. We are so grateful to be a part of this team with you all. More details to come.”
The email linked to a letter Biden had posted on X more than 15 minutes earlier, at 1:46 p.m. ET, announcing that he would not seek reelection.
Politico reported that campaign aides had been pressuring delegates from the moment the letter was published, and The New York Times reported that senior aides like Biden’s communications strategist, Anita Dunn, knew Biden was dropping out of the race a minute before the public did.
The future of the Biden campaign’s organization was unclear at press time, but CNN reported that talks were already underway to hire an aide who worked under former President Barack Obama to help the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, who has vowed to “earn and win” the Democratic nomination.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
