Biden Refused Obama’s Calls for Weeks Before and After Dropping Out, New Book Reveals
President Joe Biden reportedly ignored repeated calls from former President Barack Obama both before and after ending his re-election bid in July 2024, highlighting a dramatic breakdown in one of the Democratic Party’s most high-profile relationships.
According to an excerpt from Jonathan Karl’s upcoming book “Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America,” Biden began freezing out his former boss after suspecting Obama was quietly involved in orchestrating a high-profile push to force him out of the race. That effort culminated with a July 10 New York Times op-ed by actor George Clooney — a major Democratic fundraiser — which declared that Biden “cannot win.”
Clooney’s editorial landed just weeks after a widely panned debate performance by Biden against Donald Trump, and just days after a $30 million Hollywood fundraiser where Biden had to be physically led off the stage by Obama — a moment that, according to campaign insiders, deepened concerns about his stamina.
“Obama had been trying to get in touch with Biden for about two weeks, but his calls had not been returned,” Karl writes. Even after Biden finally exited the race on July 21, the two men reportedly didn’t speak until nearly a month later, right before the Democratic National Convention.
Behind the scenes, Biden was also reportedly ignoring calls from other senior Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, who had been organizing pressure campaigns to convince the 82-year-old president to step aside.
Karl describes Biden as increasingly isolated in his final weeks as a candidate, relying solely on a small group of trusted family members and close aides. The campaign was unraveling amid tanking poll numbers and a wave of elected Democrats publicly urging Biden to withdraw.
Adding to the dysfunction, Vice President Kamala Harris — who went on to become the Democratic nominee — refused to reach out to lawmakers herself in Biden’s defense. She reportedly feared that any contact could be interpreted as a power play for the nomination, which would backfire politically if Biden stayed in the race.
Once Biden agreed to drop out, Harris insisted he endorse her immediately to prevent a contested convention. Despite resistance from some advisers, Biden issued his endorsement just 27 minutes after suspending his campaign.
Karl notes that Harris’ urgency was strategic: “Otherwise, she argued, Biden would be opening the door to an ugly fight for the nomination.”
Harris ultimately lost to President Donald Trump in a resounding Electoral College landslide, becoming the first Democrat in two decades to also lose the popular vote.
Karl’s “Retribution” is scheduled to be released on October 28.