Former Vice President Kamala Harris has faced significant resistance from California Democratic donors in recent weeks as she ramped up outreach for a potential gubernatorial run, with some major contributors still bitter about her role in what one called the &#8220;complete s*** storm&#8221; of her 2024 presidential run.
Harris has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-harris-hints-at-future-political-run-im-not-going-anywhere?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Kamala+Harris+Hints+At+Future+Political+Run%3A+%E2%80%98I%E2%80%99m+Not+Going+Anywhere%E2%80%99">testing</a> the waters with trusted supporters as she considers a gubernatorial run, but enthusiasm has noticeably waned among the Democratic donor class, according to a POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/27/california-donors-kamala-harris-governor-00428797">report</a>.
One California Democrat who contributed six figures to Harris&#8217;s presidential campaign bluntly stated that her candidacy would only remind voters of the &#8220;traumatizing&#8221; 2024 election when Donald Trump regained power.
“Kamala just reminds you we are in this complete s*** storm. With Biden, we got bamboozled … I think she did the best she could in that situation, but obviously she knew about the cognitive decline too,” the unidentified donor reportedly said. “I’ve written so many checks because I knew the Trump administration would be horrible, but we’re living in a nightmare because of the Democrats. I’m furious at them, truly.”
POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/26/california-republicans-kamala-harris-governor-run-00368028">reports</a> that many GOP candidates, eager to face Harris given her damaged reputation, would consider throwing their hat in the ring should the former vice president enter the race.
Democratic fundraisers note that Harris has yet to address accusations from former Los Angeles mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa, who alleges both she and Biden&#8217;s Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, another Democrat who has already entered the gubernatorial race, were &#8220;complicit in a cover-up&#8221; regarding Biden&#8217;s condition.
“Voters deserve to know the truth, what did Kamala Harris and Xavier Becerra know, when did they know it, and most importantly, why didn’t either of them speak out?” Villaraigosa <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/20/fellow-democrat-tears-into-harris-becerra-bidens-fitness-00361106">said</a> in a statement. “This cover up directly led to a second Donald Trump term — and as a result, all Californians are paying the price.”
Harris has set a late-summer deadline for her decision. She is exploring multiple options beyond the governor&#8217;s race, including a potential 2028 presidential run or establishing &#8220;a philanthropic venture&#8221; outside of elected office, per POLITICO.
“It’s very fair to say there’s not an overwhelming clamor” for a Harris gubernatorial bid, said Scott Drexel, a Bay Area-based donor adviser. “It’s very hard for there to be one if it’s not 100 percent clear if she really wants to do it.”
“She’s going to have to work for the nomination,” Drexel said, “Every day that passes, there’s less of a sense of inevitability about her candidacy.”
Harris has made some quiet outreach, including multiple private meetings in the Bay Area during her visit to headline a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in early June.
These intimate gatherings in supporters&#8217; homes were officially billed as social events but carried &#8220;an unmistakable subtext&#8221; regarding her political future, POLITICO reported.
&#8220;The donors that are here, that have been with her know that this is her home state. She can win &#8230; but they also don&#8217;t want her to find herself in a spot of vulnerability, particularly if someone like a Rick Caruso comes into the race,&#8221; said Todd Hawkins, a Harris bundler dating back to her tenure as California attorney general.
Caruso, a billionaire developer and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate, has been mentioned as a potential centrist challenger who could complicate Harris&#8217;s path to the nomination. Caruso is a former Republican who changed his party registration several times before running as a Democrat in the 2022 L.A. mayoral race, when he lost to Karen Bass. 
One Southern California fundraiser, speaking anonymously, said donors &#8220;realize it&#8217;s just going to bring up the whole pathetic last presidential, which no one wants to hear about again. And then it&#8217;s the whole &#8216;Did you know Joe Biden?&#8217; thing. She still would probably lead, but honestly, no one is incredibly pumped.&#8221;

Former Vice President Kamala Harris

Liberal Donors Trash Kamala: ‘Just Reminds You We Are in This Complete S*** Storm’

2024 Election

California

Elections

gubernatorial race

Joe Biden

Kamala Harris

Los Angeles

Politics

Rick Caruso

Xavier Becerra

President Joe Biden’s USAID awarded an $800 million contract to a business operating out of a Virginia home even after it formally ruled that its key manager lacked “honesty or integrity” — a reference to the fact that, according to a May 12 guilty plea, he had secured USAID contracts through bribery for a decade.
The contract was for addressing “issues affecting the root causes of irregular migration from Central America to the United States” — the work that Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/after-dnc-platform-was-printed-the-program-it-touts-as-top-border-success-was-shut-down-for-fraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assigned</a> to Vice President Kamala Harris, but which she never appeared to address, a Daily Wire investigation found.
The Department of Justice <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/usaid-official-three-contractors-plead-guilty-to-half-billion-dollar-bribery-scheme">announced Friday</a> that Walter Barnes III, the founder of government contractor Vistant (previously known as PM Consulting Group, or PMCG) and Roderick Watson, a USAID contracting official, pleaded guilty to a bribery scheme in which Barnes and two others conspired to pay Watson $1 million in exchange for $544 million in contracts.
What has not been reported is that the Biden administration continued to steer contracts to Vistant/PMCG even after it knew of the massive corruption: the migration contract, even larger than the $544 million in the indictment, and others that are still active.
The $800 million contract went to a joint venture between Barnes’ company and CollaborateUp, a tiny consultancy run out of a suburban home in Falls Church, Virginia, where its CEO, Richard Crespin — who runs the company while also working at a think tank — lives. The Virginia home was the address listed on the $800 million contract.
In <a href="https://collaborateup.com/central-america-regional-support-services-carss-idiq/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcing</a> its $800 million contract, CollaborateUp said it would address the “irregular migration from Central America to the United States” by addressing “climate change.” Its <a href="https://collaborateup.com/services/our-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> also touts its work “advancing DEIA” and combating “misinformation.”
This year, it added Mark A. Green, a former Republican congressman who served as Donald Trump’s appointee to lead USAID during his first term, to its payroll as a <a href="https://collaborateup.com/who-we-are/our-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“senior advisor,”</a> according to its website.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-934911 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/hq-299x576.jpg" alt="The headquarters of the recipient of the $800 million USAID migration grant" width="299" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/hq-299x576.jpg 299w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/hq-156x300.jpg 156w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/hq.jpg 730w" sizes="(max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px" /></div>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-934909" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/green-398x576.jpg" alt="The headquarters of the recipient of the $800 million USAID migration grant" width="398" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/green-398x576.jpg 398w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/green-207x300.jpg 207w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/green-768x1111.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/green-1062x1536.jpg 1062w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/green.jpg 1206w" sizes="(max-width: 398px) 100vw, 398px" /></div>
Vistant’s criminal scheme relied on joint ventures to exploit a DEI policy called 8(a) contracting, which lets the government award contracts with no or limited competition when the recipient is a racial minority or a small business. It formed a joint venture with a larger company —which was bribing Watson and would actually do the work — so Watson could use Barnes’ status as a black man to steer the contracts to him, rather than being obligated to go through an open competitive process.
Barnes’ company ultimately received hundreds of millions of dollars, stripping his “disadvantaged” status, and the CollaborateUp joint venture reversed the maneuver, relying on CollaborateUp’s status as a small business to win a contract with limited competition, while relying on Barnes and other larger firms to actually do the work.
CollaborateUp says it &#8220;co-developed&#8221; USAID&#8217;s <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yo_qnb-WmfPY9YExhZ2FiqIqkOeAYubY/view">&#8220;procurement reform&#8221;</a> policies &#8220;alongside former Administrator Mark Green.&#8221; That means the company that USAID put in charge of contracting reform got a massive contract for itself after partnering with someone who criminally corrupted the USAID contracting process, then put a former USAID official on its payroll.
The bribes by Barnes and his co-conspirators laid out in charging papers — which included cash, fake payroll payments, a country club wedding, a trip to Martha’s Vineyard, a down payment on a house, and basketball tickets — took place between 2013 and 2022. By 2023, USAID inspector general investigators knew of the corruption. On November 9, 2023, the government barred Vistant and Barnes from contracting based on “evidence of conduct indicating a lack of business honesty or integrity.”
That same day, it notified the Vistant-CollaborateUp joint venture, called PMCG CollaborateUp JV LLC, that it had been chosen for the “root causes of migration” contract.
A USAID contracting official believed the contract was “legally questionable” and told the contractors later that month that he was yanking it. He said that even though CollaborateUp owned 51% of the joint venture, according to the proposal, almost all the work would be done by Vistant or subcontractors. That meant CollaborateUp brought little to the table except being a middleman, while the contract’s “driving force” was banned for lack of integrity, according to civil court papers.
Yet the contractors appeared to feel so entitled to nearly $1 billion in government money that they took the government to <a href="https://ecf.cofc.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2024cv0079-35-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">court demanding it</a>. It asked a judge for a permanent injunction “prohibiting USAID from rescinding its award.”
On June 10, 2024, Paul Young, a go-between who paid Watson to obscure the paper trail to Barnes, was <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.561574/gov.uscourts.mdd.561574.1.1.pdf">indicted</a> for his role in bringing Watson to influence &#8220;the award of USAID contracts valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.&#8221; The indictment refers to Vistant and Barnes as Company 3 and CC-3 and says, &#8220;Young began making payments from CC-3 to CC-1 [Watson].&#8221; It describes how, for example, in October 2022, CC-3 sent a down payment for Watson&#8217;s home to him through Young.
Two days later, on June 12, 2024, Judge Charles F. Lettow issued “a limited injunction,” punting the decision about the $800 million contract back to USAID to reevaluate. By that time, Vistant had been removed from the list of banned contractors, though the ban on its founder, Barnes, remained.
On August 22, 2024, USAID awarded the <a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_72051924D00017_7200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“indefinite quantity” contract of up to $800 million</a> for “USAID Central America Regional Support Services” to PMCG CollaborateUp JV LLC. It made an initial payment of $10,000 that day.
Further demonstrating that the government knew at the time that Vistant/PMCG had gotten its previous USAID contracts through bribery, one week later, prosecutors offered a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.567709/gov.uscourts.mdd.567709.13.2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plea deal</a> to a co-conspirator of Barnes, Darryl F. Britt, that laid out the findings of a long-running investigation from USAID&#8217;s inspector general. The plea deal referred to Vistant as Company 2, and Barnes as CC-2.
“Indefinite delivery” contracts are open-ended contracts that allow the government to send repeated work to a company over a period of time up to a maximum amount, meaning the government could pay PMCG CollaborateUp as much as $800 million, but could also pay less.
The migration contract was terminated in February 2025 — not because Barnes was corrupt, but because the Trump administration was shuttering USAID over suspicion that graft and insider deals were common, which liberals decried as a conspiracy theory.
Yet the Biden administration&#8217;s General Services Administration, which oversees government-wide contracting, also gave PMCG CollaborateUp JV LLC two contracts lasting five years each, despite the government’s knowledge that Barnes had gotten contracts through bribery.
On November 6, 2024 — the day after the presidential election — GSA awarded the joint venture an indefinite delivery <a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_47QRCA25DSD24_4732" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contrac</a><a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_47QRCA25DSD24_4732" target="_blank" rel="noopener">t through 2029</a>, whose cap was listed as $999,999,999,999.00. It paid $2,500 as the opening salvo.
On December 19, shortly before the Biden administration left office, GSA gave it <a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_47QRCA25DSD24_4732" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another</a> indefinite delivery contract with similar terms. According to its GSA Price List, the company rents administrative assistants to the government for <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yo_qnb-WmfPY9YExhZ2FiqIqkOeAYubY/view">$93.68</a> an hour. CollaborateUp did not return a request for comment.
The half-billion dollar bribery scheme is just one instance of fraud at USAID that was known about during the Biden administration, but not prosecuted until the Trump administration.
Stephen Paul Edmund Sutton, a British citizen who worked for a USAID contractor, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/former-contractor-usaid-funded-program-extradited-united-states-convicted-and-sentenced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pleaded guilty</a> on May 19 to taking kickbacks related to an electric program in Pakistan. Sutton and a co-conspirator who worked for him were in charge of giving out subcontractors to Pakistani vendors to perform work.
In 2015, the pair created two companies and had the contractor pay them for forklift and crane services. Then, those companies hired Pakistanis for half the amount. Prosecutors said the agency was defrauded of $100,000. Sutton was ordered to be handed over to immigration authorities instead of jail.
The Daily Wire previously revealed that USAID’s inspector general told a federal court in November that another foreign aid contracting official, Matthieu Zahui of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/foreign-aid-official-who-resisted-doge-took-secret-payments-after-steering-africa-money-to-friend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">African Development Foundation</a>, had steered contracts to a friend who secretly paid him personally. USAID had credible tips about Zahui for years, but didn’t take his phone until February 2024. The phone, it said, contained evidence that he was receiving wire transfers to his personal bank account from the owner of a contractor he had steered government funds to.
But USAID did not ask a judge for a search warrant to conduct further investigation until November 4, the day before the election. Zahiu has not been criminally charged as of now.

crespin-barnes

USAID Gave Known Con Man $800M Contract To Do Kamala’s Work On ‘Root Causes Of Migration’

Immigration

USAID

Kamala can&#8217;t get a call back.
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom reportedly didn&#8217;t even pick up the phone when former Vice President Kamala Harris called him this week about the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles County.
The former vice president &#8220;wasn’t able to connect with her longtime political friend and rival but left him a voicemail to express support,&#8221; a person close to her <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/12/how-kamala-harris-is-processing-the-la-unrest-00402189" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> POLITICO&#8217;s California Playbook.
A voicemail? Oh girl.
She also called Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass. Wonder if she had to leave them voicemails, too?
Democrats are currently trying to read the tea leaves on whether Harris will run for California governor next year, and so far it&#8217;s been a messy guessing game — apparently a fake post saying Harris would not be running <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/12/how-kamala-harris-is-processing-the-la-unrest-00402189" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confused</a> insiders this week.
However, Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio thinks Harris may be &#8220;eyeing Newsom’s rising stock as she contemplates her next moves,&#8221; according to POLITICO.
Newsom is getting the attention right now as he clashes publicly with President Donald Trump over Trump&#8217;s decision to send National Guard and Marine troops to Los Angeles.
Riots erupted in Los Angeles County over the weekend in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Protesters burned multiple cars and smashed windows at the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters as police struggled to respond. An area of downtown L.A. was eventually put under a curfew.
Meanwhile, similar violent protests have cropped up in New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Austin, Las Vegas, and Washington, DC., among other places.
On Sunday, Harris endorsed the protests, claiming they have been &#8220;overwhelmingly peaceful.&#8221;
Mostly peaceful protests, remember that one?
&#8220;Protest is a powerful tool — essential in the fight for justice,&#8221; Harris said, adding later, &#8220;I continue to support the millions of Americans who are standing up to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms.&#8221;
The former California senator also lashed out at Trump for sending troops to Los Angeles, <a href="https://x.com/KamalaHarris/status/1931856677881667634">accusing</a> him of &#8220;stoking fear.&#8221;
She called the move &#8220;a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos&#8221; and &#8220;part of the Trump Administration&#8217;s cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division.&#8221;
By the way, it&#8217;s not just a California governor bid Harris is supposedly mulling. Harris&#8217; circle thinks she might actually try for the White House again.
You know, the candidate who failed to win a single swing state or the popular vote. But sure, why not!
In the meantime, she&#8217;s still trying to get a call back.

Senator Kamala Harris Rallies With Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom Ahead Of The California Primary

REPORT: Kamala Called Gavin Newsom About L.A. Riots. He Didn’t Even Answer.

REPORT: Kamala Harris Called Gavin Newsom On LA Riots. He Didn’t Even Answer.

Gavin Newsom

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Former Vice President Kamala Harris declared on Sunday that she is supporting the anti-ICE protests in and around Los Angeles, claiming the demonstrations have been &#8220;overwhelmingly peaceful&#8221; despite violent clashes with federal authorities.
Harris, who has a <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/real-estate/a33825054/kamala-harris-homes-real-estate-photos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">home</a> in Los Angeles and has been <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/06/01/kamala-harris-california-governor-race/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mulling</a> a run for California governor, said in a <a href="https://x.com/KamalaHarris/status/1931856677881667634" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that she is &#8220;appalled at what we are witnessing on the streets of our city.&#8221; But instead of focusing on how troublemakers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cory-booker-spins-la-riots-as-peaceful-while-feds-dodge-concrete-blocks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hurled</a> rocks, concrete, and fireworks at federal officers and their vehicles, Harris took the opportunity to criticize her 2024 election opponent, President Donald Trump.
&#8220;Deploying the National Guard is a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos. In addition to the recent ICE raids in Southern California and across our nation, it is part of the Trump Administration&#8217;s cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division,&#8221; Harris said. &#8220;This Administration&#8217;s actions are not about public safety — they&#8217;re about stoking fear. Fear of a community demanding dignity and due process.&#8221;
Harris extolled protesting as &#8220;a powerful tool — essential in the fight for justice&#8221; without acknowledging the rioting that prompted Trump to deploy the National Guard.
&#8220;And as the LAPD, Mayor, and Governor have noted, demonstrations in defense of our immigrant neighbors have been overwhelmingly peaceful,&#8221; Harris said. &#8220;I continue to support the millions of Americans who are standing up to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms.&#8221;
Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have vociferously opposed Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/department-of-defense-security-for-the-protection-of-department-of-homeland-security-functions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deployment</a> of the National Guard and touted peaceful demonstrations. These Democrats also faced blowback from Trump and others for failing to stop the unrest.
However, Newsom and Bass took time to relay <a href="https://x.com/CAgovernor/status/1931825945146703982" target="_blank" rel="noopener">messages</a> discouraging <a href="https://x.com/MayorOfLA/status/1931825605101920676" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acts</a> of violence, destruction, and vandalism. Harris did no such thing and received criticism for it.
&#8220;No surprise that the most incompetent Vice President in history stands with the illegal alien rioters,&#8221; Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) <a href="https://x.com/TomCottonAR/status/1931860564839395709" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quipped</a> in a post on X.
&#8220;We all know you support lawless, violent, illegal alien rioters. That’s why you lost so badly in November. Back to irrelevancy you go!&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/ATJackson47/status/1931866516229959699" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson.
Fox News contributor Joe Concha <a href="https://x.com/JoeConchaTV/status/1931860240028270775" target="_blank" rel="noopener">observed</a>, &#8220;This statement tells us 2024 Kamala wasn’t real and she was always 2019 Kamala all along on illegal immigration.&#8221;
Police have said several people have already been <a href="https://abc7.com/live-updates/tensions-flare-downtown-la-anti-ice-protesters-clash-agents-live-updates/16692645/entry/16696993/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> in the protests that erupted as federal agents began to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gang-members-sex-offenders-and-more-heres-who-ice-actually-picked-up-during-la-raids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detain and deport</a> a number of the dangerous criminal aliens who were the targets of raids throughout the Los Angeles area.
The FBI is <a href="https://x.com/FBILosAngeles/status/1931824873728254090" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offering</a> a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of a man accused of throwing rocks at law enforcement vehicles, injuring a federal officer, and damaging government vehicles.
&#8220;Hit a cop, you’re going to jail … doesn’t matter where you came from, how you got here, or what movement speaks to you. If the local police force won’t back our men and women on the thin blue line, we @FBI will,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1931522027719995558" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> FBI Director Kash Patel.
The bedlam continued on Sunday as protesters <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anti-ice-protesters-swarm-101-freeway-500-u-s-marines-stand-prepared-to-deploy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">swarmed</a> a freeway in Los Angeles and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h3jojqNfh0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set cars on fire</a> in the downtown area.

Kamala Backs LA Protests After Rioters Attack Federal Officers

Donald Trump

Protests

Riots

U.S.

President Donald Trump is reportedly holding out on a $15 million settlement offer from Paramount Global, demanding more money and an apology.
Paramount and Trump have been locked in negotiations for a month over a lawsuit the president filed last year against CBS News, which is overseen by Paramount. The media company has offered $15 million to settle the case, but Trump’s team rejected the offer, wanting at least $25 million and an apology for interfering in the 2020 election, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/paramount-has-offered-15-million-to-settle-cbs-lawsuit-trump-wants-more-861d857e">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sues-cbs-news-for-10-billion-over-kamala-60-minutes-interview-edits">sued</a> CBS News in November over an interview the network conducted with former Vice President Kamala Harris during an episode of “60 Minutes.” The lawsuit accused the news company of deceptively editing the interview to make Harris appear much sharper than she actually performed. The network has said the interview was “not doctored or deceitful.”
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The court-wrangling with the president comes as Paramount Global tries to navigate a planned merger with Skydance Media. The high-profile battle with Trump has complicated company dynamics amid the merger.
Earlier this month, CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cbs-news-president-quits-amid-60-minutes-legal-battle-with-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that she was leaving the network after breaking with executives over how to handle the Trump lawsuit. McMahon left in part because of her unwillingness to make an apology as part of a potential settlement.
“It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward,” McMahon wrote in a memo to staff. “It’s time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership.”
Shari Redstone, Paramount Global’s controlling shareholder and chair, has stepped back from the Trump lawsuit as she navigates the $8 billion merger with Skydance, which must undergo a federal review by the Trump administration.
Paramount Global is the latest major company attempting to settle a lawsuit from Trump. Meta agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit over Trump’s social media accounts being banned following January 6, 2021. $22 million of the settlement is directed toward the Trump presidential library while the rest of the money covered legal expenses.
The social media platform X agreed to a similar settlement worth $10 million the following month.

Trump Rejects $15M Settlement Offer From Paramount Over ‘Deceitful’ Kamala Interview

CBS News

Courts

Media

Kamala Harris is reportedly mulling entering the race for governor of California, and the idea is delighting an unexpected group: Republicans.
California has not elected a Republican governor since 2007, but many Republicans see Harris as a potentially vulnerable candidate should Democrats choose her. “Sources familiar with Harris&#8217; thinking say she&#8217;s weighing a gubernatorial bid in her home state, a third run for the presidency or not seeking elected office,” CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kamala-harris-california-governor-or-presidential-bid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> earlier this month.
“I&#8217;d jump for joy,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco declared, per the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14755375/kamala-harris-endorsement-republicans-california-governor-race.html">Daily Mail</a>. “She&#8217;s the perfect example of everything Californians are sick of &#8211; soft on crime, blind to our problems, and more focused on DC than Main Street. &#8230; She won two statewide elections, and she won in California when she was running for president. But those votes didn&#8217;t go to Kamala Harris. Those votes went against Donald Trump.”
“I think it could attract some donors from around the country who might be interested in taking another pound of flesh,” Republican political consultant Dave Gilliard stated, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/26/california-republicans-kamala-harris-governor-run-00368028" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLITICO</a>. “Money is the biggest obstacle other than the registration because the donor world doesn’t think a Republican can be elected governor anymore.”
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“She&#8217;s got the résumé &#8211; but so do a lot of people who&#8217;ve lost,” Republican consultant Kevin Madden asserted. “What she doesn&#8217;t have is momentum.”
“I sense that this is the best shot for someone to be elected statewide in California who’s not a Democrat for at least 20 years, and I think the evident reason for that is the failure of one-party rule,” conservative pundit Steve Hilton said. “The candidate who’s going to win in 2026, regardless of party label, is the change candidate. Kamala Harris is the one who least represents change.”
“She has a chance to be embarrassed even if she wins,” said GOP consultant Kevin Spillane, who managed the campaign of GOP California attorney general candidate Steve Cooley, who <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/California_Attorney_General_election,_2010" target="_blank" rel="noopener">narrowly lost</a> to Harris in 2010. “It could be a pyrrhic victory.”
“California remains a staunchly Democratic state in which <a href="https://www.politico.com/2024-election/results/california/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">59 percent of voters</a> chose Harris over Trump in 2024,” POLITICO noted. “But Harris underperformed former President Joe Biden’s 2020 results across the state as Trump flipped purple counties and made inroads in blue areas.”

Vice President Kamala Harris hold a campaign rally in North Las Vegas

Kamala Weighing CA Governor Run: One Unexpected Group Especially Delighted

Dr. Stephen Quay does not believe President Joe Biden was only just diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer, telling The Daily Wire, &#8220;there is a mismatch between the standard of care [Biden] should have been getting, and what we&#8217;re hearing about now.&#8221;
Quay, a University of Michigan-educated doctor, author, and <a href="https://drquay.com/">renowned scientist</a>, spoke to The Daily Wire just days after the former president&#8217;s office announced that he had been diagnosed with an &#8220;aggressive form&#8221; of prostate cancer that had already metastasized to his bones. He said he&#8217;s received death threats since he began speaking out about Biden&#8217;s diagnosis, calling the experience &#8220;quite bizarre.&#8221;
But Quay made it clear that he is simply offering thoughts &#8220;based on peer-reviewed papers that address large populations.&#8221; To that end, he notes that 85 to 90% of all cases, the disease progression from localized in the prostate to advanced metastatic disease is a process that plays out &#8220;over the course of five to seven years.&#8221;
Quay made it clear that while a rapid onset of advanced disease was certainly possible, that was only the case in perhaps one or two percent of patients. He also noted the fact that Biden&#8217;s cancer is &#8220;hormone sensitive&#8221; could potentially explain the former president&#8217;s physical and cognitive decline.
&#8220;The standard treatment would be to deprive the body of testosterone through <a href="https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/treating/hormone-therapy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Androgen Deprivation Therapy,&#8221;</a> Quay said. For a man of Biden&#8217;s age, such a precipitous drop in testosterone could lead patients to lose muscle tone and become noticeably weaker.
&#8220;Out of 100 men, nearly 40% will have a serious fall within six to 12 months of ADT treatment,&#8221; he said, adding that another common side effect had to do with patients seeing cognitive issues.
&#8220;Some of that will be self-reported, where they just notice that maybe they&#8217;re not as sharp as they have been in the past,&#8221; Quay said, also noting that the people around the patient might also notice cognitive decline even when the patient himself did not.
While Quay said that he had no knowledge of whether Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doctors-raise-questions-about-timing-of-biden-cancer-diagnosis-unbelievable-this-was-missed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">knew of his diagnosis</a> prior to his office&#8217;s public announcement, he said that it was possible that the former president&#8217;s noticeably awkward gait and obvious cognitive issues were side effects of the standard treatment for his cancer.
If that were the case, he added, he could understand why someone in Biden&#8217;s position might have made a &#8220;calculated decision&#8221; not to release the information to the public.
&#8220;He might have not had the cognitive issues when he decided to go ahead with a campaign,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s true that he probably couldn’t be elected with cancer or cognitive issues, so at some point, he would have to make a calculated decision whether or not to tell people. But to speak to whether or not that was the right course of action, I stop being a doctor with an opinion and start being a voter with an opinion — and that’s fine as long as I can keep them compartmentalized.&#8221;
A Biden spokesman has said that <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/joe-biden-psa-screening-2014-prostate-cancer-rcna208120" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nothing was hidden</a> from the public and that the former president did not receive his prostate cancer diagnosis until last Friday. The spokesman also said Biden&#8217;s last known prostate cancer screening — called a Prostate Specific Antigen test — was in 2014.
Quay discussed the efficacy of PSAs in an X post shortly after Biden&#8217;s diagnosis was made public.
&#8220;Prostate cancer is the easiest cancer to diagnose when it first starts and to watch it progress to bone metastases,&#8221; he wrote.
&#8220;The PSA blood test shows the rate of cancer cell growth. For even with the most aggressive form, it is a 5-7 year journey without treatment before it becomes metastatic. Meaning, it would be malpractice for this patient to show up and be first diagnosed with metastatic disease in May 2025. It is highly likely he was carrying a diagnosis of prostate cancer throughout his White House tenure and the American people were uninformed.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Prostate cancer is the easiest cancer to diagnose when it first starts and to watch it progress to bone metastases. The PSA blood test shows the rate of cancer cell growth. For even with the most aggressive form, it is a 5-7 year journey without treatment before it becomes…
— Dr Steven Quay (@quay_dr) <a href="https://twitter.com/quay_dr/status/1924208125349171299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;If you can believe what they say, that it is hormone sensitive, that means that it would be detectable in PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) levels,&#8221; he said, noting that PSA testing is not always recommended after age 69, but that for someone in Biden&#8217;s position it seemed unwise not to go ahead with the test.
&#8220;There is a mismatch between the standard of care that he should have been getting and what we’re hearing about now.&#8221;

President Biden Delivers Remarks On The Middle East From The White House

Why A Top Cancer Doctor Says Biden’s Diagnosis Story Doesn’t Add Up

'There Is A Mismatch': Dr. Steven Quay Explains Why Biden's Cancer News Doesn't Quite Add Up

Axios

Cancer

Health

Jake Tapper

Jill Biden

President Donald Trump on Monday called for a &#8220;major investigation&#8221; into former Vice President Kamala Harris over accusations that she paid for the endorsements of celebrities like Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé during her failed presidential campaign. 
In an early morning Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114532867603994760" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>, Trump claimed Harris illegally paid for high-profile endorsements. 
“HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT? WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO??? I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter,” Trump wrote.  
“Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment,” he added. “In addition, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds. IT’S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic &#8216;entertainers,&#8217; this was just a CORRUPT &amp; UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”
Springsteen, who performed at an October rally for Harris in Atlanta, has been attacking the Trump administration during his concerts in recent weeks. 
“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,” Springsteen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nobody-cares-bruce-springsteen-mocked-for-tirade-against-trump?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘Nobody+Cares’%3A+Bruce+Springsteen+Mocked+For+Tirade+Against+Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at a concert last week in England. “Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!” 
The Harris campaign has previously come under scrutiny for large payments made to the production companies of celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, and LeBron James. 
The Washington Free Beacon <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/lebron-james-endorsed-kamala-harris-then-she-paid-his-company-50k/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> last month that Harris’s campaign paid James&#8217;s production company $50,000 for &#8220;campaign event production.” While James did not appear at any Harris events, he did post a social media video endorsing Harris and suggesting that Trump was a racist. 
Similarly, the Harris campaign paid Beyonce’s production company $165,000 and Oprah’s production company $1 million. Beyonce spoke briefly at a Harris campaign event in Houston while Oprah did a sit-down interview with Harris in Chicago.

Americans Go To The Polls In The 2024 Elections

Trump Calls For ‘Major Investigation’ Into Kamala Over ‘Unlawful’ Celebrity Endorsements

Beyonce

Bruce Springsteen

Executive

Ashley Etienne, once an aide to former Vice President Kamala Harris, said on Sunday that she believed the release of audio from former President Joe Biden&#8217;s interview with then Special Counsel Robert Hur would ultimately help Democrats and could even be good for Biden.
The audio, which was released on Friday afternoon, painted a picture that reflected Hur&#8217;s assessment — that Biden was an elderly man who was at best, forgetful. The consensus across much of the media was that it only reinforced claims that Biden had been diminished long before the White House or even other Democrats and members of the press admitted it.
But according to Etienne, who appeared on NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press&#8221; on Sunday, the release of the audio was far less damaging than it could have been primarily because it would be out of the news cycle long before any of the Democrats who&#8217;d defended Biden&#8217;s cognitive acuity and overall fitness had to run for reelection.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Guest on <a href="https://twitter.com/MeetThePress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MeetThePress</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/AshleyEtienne09?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AshleyEtienne09</a>, contends re audio tapes of Biden: “It’s clear to me that President Trump released the tape because he’s trying to distract from his unprecedented disastrous first 100 days.” Moreover, “it’s good for Joe Biden, it’s good for the Democratic… <a href="https://t.co/FfPk5LPj2l">pic.twitter.com/FfPk5LPj2l</a>
— Brent Baker 🇺🇲🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentHBaker/status/1924137365699756477?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Etienne began by suggesting that the audio had been released intentionally to distract voters from the first 100 days of his current term.
&#8220;This is how I see it. The real question is: Why release this tape now?&#8221; she mused. &#8220;And it’s clear to me that President Trump released the tape because he’s trying to distract from his disastrous – unprecedented – disastrous first 100 days. I mean, we’ve all been talking about that at the table today.&#8221;
&#8220;So to me that’s what’s at play. Imagine a situation where you’re so desperate, so under water on every issue that you play your best card in the first six months of an administration. So the way I see this is: This is good for Joe Biden. It’s good for the Democratic Party, because we can dispense with this now and not closer to the midterm election –&#8221; Etienne continued.
&#8220;You think it’s good for Joe Biden?&#8221; anchor Kristen Welker interrupted.
&#8220;Meaning …&#8221; Etienne prompted.
&#8220;– it does raise new questions about his decision not to get out sooner as you just heard Chris Murphy say,&#8221; Welker finished.
&#8220;Well, I do believe that I think the problem with the Democratic Party right now is that we’ve not produced an autopsy, we’ve not produced an assessment of what actually happened in the election and to address this issue head on. If we were to, we can reconcile, coalesce, speak with one voice, and move past it,&#8221; Etienne concluded.

Special Counsel Robert Hur Testifies On Biden’s Classified Documents Investigation

Former Kamala Aide Says Biden-Hur Interview Audio Is … Good For Democrats?

Former Kamala Aide Says Biden-Hur Interview Audio Is ... Good For Democrats?

Meet the Press

As more and more &#8220;bombshells&#8221; drop about former President Joe Biden&#8217;s last days in office — many coming from the soon-to-be-released &#8220;Original Sin,&#8221; written by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson — one question has remained top of mind especially for critics of the last administration: &#8220;Who was running the country?&#8221;
Revelations from the book thus far have included, among other things, claims from Biden&#8217;s cabinet members that they were actively kept from meeting with him — claims that appear substantiated by the fact that he only held three full cabinet meetings in 2023 and one in 2024. Tapper and Thompson were also told that Biden failed to recognize his longtime friend — and host — actor George Clooney at a Hollywood fundraiser.
The more evidence piles up, the more critics ask: if Biden was clearly incapable of finishing the 2024 presidential race, then how could anyone say he was still capable of serving as president? And if he was incapable of serving as president, &#8220;who was running the country?&#8221; And, on a related note, where was Vice President Kamala Harris?
&#8220;Dems/media still missing the story on Biden. Yes, it&#8217;s bad that you guys lied about his health. But it&#8217;s amazing that nobody is asking WHO WAS RUNNING THE COUNTRY FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, because it was clearly not the guy we elected. We had a soft coup,&#8221; one person posted, noting that legacy media outlets seemed wholly uninterested in that story.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dems/media still missing the story on Biden.
Yes, its bad that you guys lied about his health.
But its amazing that nobody is asking WHO WAS RUNNING THE COUNTRY FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, because it was clearly not the guy we elected.
We had a soft coup. The media response: <a href="https://t.co/9OqJJMOoBQ">pic.twitter.com/9OqJJMOoBQ</a>
— Pradheep J. Shanker, M.D. (@neoavatara) <a href="https://twitter.com/neoavatara/status/1922655738435973551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;So, who exactly was running the country from 2021-2024?&#8221; author Carol Roth asked.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
So, who exactly was running the country from 2021-2024?
— Carol Roth (@caroljsroth) <a href="https://twitter.com/caroljsroth/status/1923060475765346403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Watching President Trump operate, flying around the world, making deals, up early, shutting it down late, involved in everything, you realize he is a once in a generation phenom. One of the greatest to ever do it. But it forces a terrifying question. Who the hell was running the country the last four years under Biden? How? Because it sure was not him,&#8221; another posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Watching President Trump operate, flying around the world, making deals, up early, shutting it down late, involved in everything, you realize he is a once in a generation phenom. One of the greatest to ever do it.
But it forces a terrifying question. Who the hell was running the… <a href="https://t.co/ru2OGI5zP1">https://t.co/ru2OGI5zP1</a>
— Petey B (@realpeteyb123) <a href="https://twitter.com/realpeteyb123/status/1922313424039772220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I asked this on CNN, I’ll ask it again. Who in the hell was running the country if Biden was clearly incapable of doing the job,&#8221; Shermichael Singleton asked.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I asked this on CNN, I’ll ask it again. Who in the hell was running the country if Biden was clearly incapable of doing the job. <a href="https://t.co/MZixrUYnH3">https://t.co/MZixrUYnH3</a>
— Shermichael Singleton (@MrShermichael) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrShermichael/status/1922274199214727286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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CNN Republican commentator Scott Jennings raised the same question:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WHO was running our country?
The very fact that America even has to ask this question is scandal enough.
WE DEMAND ANSWERS! <a href="https://t.co/Tl90IXr4EF">pic.twitter.com/Tl90IXr4EF</a>
— Stephen Davis (@Stephend1776) <a href="https://twitter.com/Stephend1776/status/1923087128520511759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Others turned the question on then-Vice President Kamala Harris:
&#8220;So, is anybody gonna report on where Kamala Harris was during all this time that Joe Biden was unfit to be president, or nah?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
So, is anybody gonna report on where Kamala Harris was during all this time that Joe Biden was unfit to be president, or nah?
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) <a href="https://twitter.com/baseballcrank/status/1922761248128598219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In The Wake Of Biden Book ‘Bombshells,’ One Pressing Question Still Remains

In The Wake Of Biden Book 'Bombshells,' One Pressing Question Still Remains

Scott Jennings

Even liberally applied &#8220;Hollywood Magic&#8221; was not enough to save a floundering former President Joe Biden — &#8220;magic&#8221; that included help with lighting and sound from mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg and direction from Oscar-winner Stephen Spielberg, says the new book &#8220;Original Sin&#8221; from CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson.
In an <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/how-joe-biden-handed-the-presidency-to-donald-trump?mbid=social_twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_social-type=owned&amp;utm_brand=tny" target="_blank" rel="noopener">excerpt from the book</a> published on Tuesday by The New Yorker, Tapper and Thompson revealed just how much pre-production went into getting Biden camera ready as the 2024 presidential campaign heated up — and the moment when everyone involved realized that it just wasn&#8217;t working.
Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, who had been friends with Biden for decades, spearheaded high-dollar fundraisers — including a Radio City event that raked in $26 million — but he took on a different role as the 2024 presidential election loomed ever closer.
&#8220;As 2024 approached, he saw Biden’s communication struggles and thought he could help fix them. He worked on providing better lighting for Biden and trying to find a microphone that would amplify Biden when he would break into a whisper for emphasis,&#8221; Tapper and Thompson wrote — but Katzenberg didn&#8217;t stop there.
&#8220;Katzenberg also recruited his friend Steven Spielberg, who helped coach Biden for the State of the Union and his debates, even assisting with routine campaign videos. There was, however, only so much that Hollywood magic could do,&#8221; they continued.
The moment that shocked everyone, according to Tapper and Thompson, was Biden&#8217;s appearance at the Hollywood fundraiser hosted by actor George Clooney — and his apparent failure to immediately recognize his longtime friend and supporter.
<blockquote>“You know George,” the assisting aide told the President, gently reminding him who was in front of him. “Yeah, yeah,” the President said to one of the most recognizable men in the world, the host of this lucrative fund-raiser. “Thank you for being here.”
“Hi, Mr. President,” Clooney said.
“How are ya?” the President replied.
“How was your trip?” Clooney asked.
“It was fine,” the President said.
It seemed clear that the President had not recognized Clooney.
“It was not O.K.,” recalled the Hollywood V.I.P. who had witnessed this moment. “That thing, the moment where you recognize someone you know—especially a famous person who’s doing a f***ing fund-raiser for you—it was delayed. It was uncomfortable.”
</blockquote>
Biden had to be reminded that the man standing in front of him was George Clooney, according to witnesses.
&#8220;Clooney was shaken to his core. The President hadn’t recognized him, a man he had known for years. Clooney had expressed concern about Biden’s health before—a White House aide had told him a few months before that they were working on getting the President to take longer steps when he walked—but obviously the problem went far beyond his gait. This was much graver,&#8221; Tapper and Thompson wrote.
It was only a short time later that Clooney penned the open letter calling on Biden to exit the race.

George Clooney

Behind The Scenes: Book Reveals The Extensive ‘Hollywood Magic’ That Couldn’t Save Biden

Behind The Scenes: Book Reveals The Extensive 'Hollywood Magic' That Couldn't Save Biden

Hollywood

Aides who worked for former Vice President Kamala Harris — particularly those close to her failed 2024 presidential bid — have come forward to throw former President Joe Biden under the bus, claiming that he is to blame for her loss to President Donald Trump.
The new accusations were fully explored in the upcoming book from CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios&#8217; Alex Thompson: &#8220;Original Sin: President Biden&#8217;s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,&#8221; as noted in a report from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/12/biden-harris-david-plouffe-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a>. A number of those close to Harris asserted that Biden was ultimately responsible for the Democrats&#8217; failure to retain the White House.
David Plouffe, who managed former President Barack Obama&#8217;s 2008 campaign, told authors Tapper and Thompson that Biden &#8220;totally f***ed us&#8221; by staying in the 2024 campaign until late July, leaving Harris just over 100 days — 107, to be exact — to mount a campaign against President Donald Trump.
Plouffe referred to the abbreviated campaign as &#8220;a f***ing nightmare,&#8221; adding, &#8220;It&#8217;s all Biden.&#8221;
Plouffe recalled taking phone calls from donors who were concerned about Biden&#8217;s speech patterns or his uneven gait, but when he asked the White House and Biden&#8217;s closest advisers whether the president was capable of seeing the 2024 campaign through, he was always told that Biden was fine.
There were others who agreed with Plouffe, including one Democratic strategist who told Tapper and Thompson, &#8220;[The 2024 campaign] was an abomination. He stole an election from the Democratic party; he stole it from the American people.&#8221;
Another senior aide who remained anonymous — and who ultimately quit his position in the Biden White House over the president&#8217;s decision to seek reelection, admitted, &#8220;We attempted to shield him from his own staff so many people didn’t realize the extent of the decline beginning in 2023.&#8221;
&#8220;I love Joe Biden. When it comes to decency, there are few in politics like him,&#8221; the aide said. &#8220;Still, it was a disservice to the country and to the party for his family and advisers to allow him to run again.&#8221;
Even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly warned Biden to get out if he wanted to preserve any part of his legacy, meeting with the president at his Rehoboth Beach home shortly after the disastrous CNN debate in late June.
Schumer told Biden that if he remained on the ticket and lost, half a century of &#8220;amazing, beautiful work goes out the window. But it’s worse than that – you will go down in American history as one of the darkest figures.&#8221;
Biden, according to the book, replied to Schumer, &#8220;You have bigger balls than anyone I’ve ever met.&#8221;
Despite that, it was nearly a full month before Biden dropped out of the race on July 21.

Biden and Harris

Kamala’s Team Tosses Biden Under The Bus, Blames Him For 2024 Loss

Kamala's Team Tosses Biden Under The Bus, Blames Him For 2024 Loss

Books

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