US President Joe Biden’s allies are “quietly meeting” with senior party officials and donors in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, CNBC has cited unnamed sources as saying.
The officials reportedly include Vice President Kamala Harris as well as California and Colorado Governors Gavin Newsom and Jared Polis, respectively.
They are among a group of Democrats who are making moves that appear to be steps to prepare for a White House run if Biden opts not to seek a second term, according to the insiders.
They argued that Harris had been contacting at least two wealthy friends, including Vanessa Getty, a model and wife of Billy Getty, heir to the billionaire Getty family, as well as Laurene Powell Jobs, a billionaire businesswoman and widow of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
As for Newsom and Polis, they reportedly attended a social gathering that took place late last week at the residence of Heather Podesta, the longtime lobbyist and Democratic Party fundraiser, an event that was also allegedly attended by dozens of wealthy donors.
“The event is another instance of how some Democrats, all of them Biden allies, seem to be making inroads with wealthy financiers in case the commander-in-chief decides not to run for president in what could be a massive 2024 primary,” the sources asserted.
The claims came after independent US journalist Glenn Greenwald told Fox News that Democrats were “obviously petrified” that Biden, who is facing worsening “cognitive decline”, will run for a second term in 2014.
“There’s clearly a concerted effort not from Republicans but from Democrats to undermine Joe Biden. And obviously, it's because they fear that he is going to try and run again,” Greenwald pointed out.
Last month, the White House confirmed that Biden would seek reelection in 2024, denying claims that his age and condition could pose a problem. This came as a New York Times/Siena College poll revealed that at least 64% of Democrats surveyed want someone else to head the presidential ticket in two years.
A separate poll conducted by NBC News in May indicated that POTUS’ approval rating had fallen to 39%, the lowest figure since he took office.