Democratic megadonors consider three courses of action after disastrous Biden-Trump debate, revealing who will decide their fate

There are three different paths Democratic mega-donors are considering for handling Joe Biden after his weak debate performance in Georgia on Thursday.

Much of the focus of this weekend’s post-debate was on the Biden family, who gathered at Camp David to discuss their patriarch’s political future.

The family has offered their unequivocal support to the president and even wondered how they could get more involved, with their embattled son, Hunter, insisting that his father run again in the race.

However, many have begun to play the blame game, citing Biden advisers’ poor preparation for the debate to take on Donald Trump and time running out as Democrats panic over his fall in the polls after Atlanta.

Democratic donors, current and former Washington power brokers and Biden supporters have seemingly coalesced around three different paths they could take for the remainder of this election season, knowing that there is only one person who will decide the fate of the campaign.

Many of the president’s wealthiest backers say that even though Thursday was a disaster, there’s little they can do if Biden doesn’t make the decision himself.

“The smartest thing is to think about how you (as influential outsiders) operate, assuming there is no change,” Dmitri Mehlhorn, who organizes wealthy supporters of Biden like LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman.

“And if there is no change, if Biden wants to remain president, then any form of pressure campaign is just a waste of time, energy, effort and money,” he said. added Melhorn, who admitted that much of the debate was “very upsetting to watch.”

Charles Myers, president of Signum Global Advisors and a top Democratic donor, immediately rejected the idea of ​​replacing Biden.

“Yes, donors were nervous after the very poor debate performance, but they were still very motivated and some want to do more,” he said.

There is an opposing faction – though largely no one with direct access to or influence over Biden – that says now is the time to encourage him to resign.

Tom Harkin, a former Democratic senator from Iowa who worked with Biden for decades, perhaps expressed that sentiment most publicly in a post-debate missive to allies.

“All sitting Democratic senators should write to Biden asking him to release his delegates and step down so the convention can choose a new nominee,” Harkin wrote.

“This is a perilous time and it’s bigger than Joe Biden’s ego or his desire to remain president,” he added, saying a new ticket would “energize the party on every level” and be capable of defeating Donald Trump.

A third way is developing among some donors, alarmed by Biden’s performance but wanting to study reactions to Thursday’s debate more closely before taking major action, while planning ahead.

“It’s time to do some polling and find out if there are any potential replacements who score higher than Trump,” said businessman Mark Cuban, who endorsed Biden this week.

Ultimately, the only person who can determine the fate of this campaign is Joe Biden himself.

“The party is in the hands of President Biden, for better or for worse. He deserves our respect and our room to make a decision,” said a Democratic senator who spoke on condition of anonymity to CNN.

Another party insider told the network that there simply wasn’t a feasible replacement plan.

“There is no real succession plan. That’s what makes this not only heartbreaking, but also very problematic.

The CNN performance, during which Joe Biden wandered in responses and lost his train of thought, triggered unprecedented panic within the party.

President Biden has the nomination assured. The only way the party can put forward another candidate is if he voluntarily withdraws from the race.

However, it appears the president is facing an uphill battle after Thursday’s debacle.

A poll released Sunday found that 72% of voters do not believe Biden has the cognitive faculties for another term. That’s a seven percent increase from the same poll conducted earlier in June before the debate.

Former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) has repeatedly questioned Biden’s cognitive and physical health.

He suggested that preparing for the debate for seven days at Camp David was a way to get the cocktail of drugs right before the showdown with Trump.

Doubts grew between before and after the debate about Biden’s mental acuity and cognitive health.

Biden stumbled in the debate with Trump on Thursday, often speaking quietly, mumbling or losing his train of thought. When Trump spoke, the split screen showed the president with his mouth hanging open and a blank stare.

The result prompted a series of calls for Biden to end his candidacy — even from some of his biggest supporters.

On the other hand, Trump’s performance in the debates only increased his party’s support.

Fifty percent of registered voters think the 78-year-old has the cognitive skills to run for a second term in 2024 – just 27 percent think the same about Biden.

It’s not yet clear what happens next, but Biden is spending his Sunday at Camp David where he is discussing the future of this race with his family.

Some are accusing first lady Jill Biden of forcing her husband to continue his campaign for re-election, and Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wy.) has accused the first lady of “elder abuse.”