Major Democratic donors have informed Future Forward, which has been a pro-Biden political action committee, that they will freeze $90 million in donations if the president remains in the presidential race, according to The New York Times.
The Times, citing “two people who have been briefed on the conversations,” reported that the frozen contributions include eight-figure donations from multiple people. According to the Times, one donor said Future Forward approached him multiple times about a contribution following Biden’s disastrous debate, but the donor said he and others are “holding off.”
A Future Forward adviser reportedly said the Super PAC expected donors who had paused contributions to unfreeze them once the Democrats resolved the uncertainty surrounding Biden’s nomination. The potential blow to Biden’s campaign comes just hours after Biden sought to assuage fears surrounding his mental and physical capabilities by holding a rare solo press conference on Thursday.
While most analysts agreed that Biden performed better during his hourlong press conference, which took place after he gave remarks at a NATO summit, than he did during his debate against former President Donald Trump, the presser appeared to do little to assure Democrats about his re-election chances. During the summit and the press conference, Biden committed multiple verbal blunders, including calling Trump his vice president and referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin.”
Biden, however, reiterated that he is committed to staying in the race, even as a growing number of Congressional Democrats have publicly called for him to step aside. Along with lawmakers and, reportedly, some major donors, a handful of celebrities have also publicly called on the president to end his campaign and allow for another candidate to take his place atop the ticket.
Actor George Clooney, who hosted a massive Hollywood fundraiser for Biden last month, wrote an op-ed in The New York Times earlier this week, saying, “[T]he Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal‘ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
Leftist author Stephen King and filmmaker Michael Moore have also called on Biden to step aside.
Democrats have reportedly held private meetings on Capitol Hill throughout the past week to discuss how the party will move forward with the questions swirling on Biden’s mental ability. Former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who are still viewed as major voices within the Democratic Party, reportedly talked privately and expressed concerns about Biden’s candidacy.
The Democratic Party Convention, where Biden is set to officially be nominated as the party’s presidential nominee, will be held in Chicago on August 19-22.
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