WASHINGTON – Former President Joe Biden has said several people close to him that Democrats will raise money, campaign and do what Democrats need to do to restore lost ground as the party supported the design, according to people close to him.
People said Biden met personally with New Democrat National Committee Chairman Ken Martin last month and offered help as the party struggles to regain its viability amid votes that show its popularity has subsided.
So far, Biden’s overture appears to have been flattened. Democrats find themselves casting and drifting for the charming messenger.
It’s not Biden, but many party activists and donors argue. He has led to his defeat in 2024, and at age 82, they claim that he is a symbol of the party’s past.
“Who will Joe Biden be back in the game?” Biden’s main supporters said they are speaking on condition of anonymity to speak openly about him.
A DNC spokesman did not provide comments or make Martin available for interviews.
A new NBC News poll shows Democrats’ popularity has fallen to a record low. Only 27% of registered voters said they held the party’s positive view. This is the lowest number of network votes until 1990.
President Donald Trump was asked about the prospect of Biden re-entering the political sphere.
Former first lady Jill Biden is also ready to campaign and raise money for her fellow Democrats as she and her husband settle into life in their home town of Delaware.
“She recognizes that it is an honor to serve the abilities she has served and that it is responsible for the party. And she is ready to help her in any way she can,” the person said.
Both Bidens are carving out their post-presidential lives outside of the partisan political activities they volunteered to do.
I plan to write each book. As Biden develops the theme for his memoir, he consults former senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and senior White House advisors Mike Donilon and Steve Richetti.
He divides his time between Delaware and Washington for meetings in office spaces provided by the federal government. Like his habits as a US Senator, he often commutes through Amtrak.
A person near Jill Biden was shocked when Trump suddenly announced this week that he had ended Secret Service protections for two adult children, Hunter and Ashley. They were not warned, said another person familiar with the matter. Their first question was whether the two children were safe.
Biden has not been in office for just two months. After Trump’s first term ended in 2021, then-President Biden protected Trump’s adult children for six months.
Biden is happy to help, but Democrats are not unanimous in wanting them. Some party activists believe Biden is a praised person who remains drawn into the Appreciation Party.
In an interview, Jane Cleeve, Vice Chair of the DNC, said: “If you call the party chairperson and ask Joe Biden if he wants to be the keynote speaker for his annual dinner, the answer is yes. He is loved by the party and loved by the voters.”
Others argue that reminding voters of the sour 2024 campaign is not the best strategy for parties looking for a new young leader, who are grasping the message. A CNN poll this month asked Democrats and democratic independences if their leaders best reflect the party’s core values. Only 1% chose Biden.
Plus, the wounds of 2024 are still fresh, with many Democrats struggling with Biden’s decision to run again until months before the election and stay in the race, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris a bit of time to organize her own campaign.
In an interview, Alan Kessler, a longtime Democrat fundraiser from Philadelphia, said:
At the “right time,” Biden can become an asset to the parties through campaigns in his hometown, Scranton, Pennsylvania and other select territories, but not now, Kessler added.
“Now is the time to demonstrate new leadership,” he said.
Biden has no regrets, said someone familiar with his private conversations. He is rebellious and believes Trump’s victory shows that the party did not benefit by pushing him to drop out of the race, sources said.
One person in particular seems to want Biden to return to the political stage: Trump. The new president used his large supporters to ensure that Americans do not forget the old ones soon.
Trump has mentioned the Biden, the Biden family, or the Biden administration, an average of seven times a day since his second term began, according to an NBC News Review of his remarks, interviews and social media posts.
Overall, since taking office on January 20th, Trump has somehow called on his predecessor more than 400 times. Most of the time, Trump is only mentioning Biden. In about 75 cases, Trump mentioned the Biden family or the Biden administration.
The context in which Trump raises his predecessors includes issues that often involve immigration, inflation, elections, or foreign wars, and the Department of Justice.
Speaking to the Justice Department last week, Trump questioned Biden using an autopen to sign the document, calling it “disrespectful to the office” and “probably invalid.”
The Justice Department congratulated the use of automatic pens in memos in 2005, with the constitution not requiring the president to record it in his own hands.
Vice President JD Vance uses Biden as foil. At this week’s Tech Summit, Vance took the time to swipe Biden’s mental vision in his speech.
“In defending Joe Biden, he was asleep most of the time. I don’t think he fully understands what he’s doing,” Vance said.
Asked why Trump frequently talks about Biden, White House Press Officer Caroline Lewitt said, “We’re still fixing many of the issues that were created or launched by the Biden administration. It’s important to remind Americans and the media why these issues exist.”
The defense Trump supporters use in rationalizing his attacks on perceived political enemies is that he is a “counter puncher.” But here, Biden is already out of the ring. He hasn’t thrown public punches as Trump escorted him to a helicopter on his inauguration day because he left the Capitol.
Certainly, Biden’s first speaking event since leaving the office last week had no fanfare at all. He appeared in New York City for a conference of the National United Nations in Manhattan. Biden gave a speech to a high school fax in the hotel ballroom six months after speaking before the actual UN before his final hours as president. He asked questions again and took photos with the students.
“He asked me about my future and I told him how much he inspired me to enter the political field,” said Susie Razinski, 18, an elderly man at Brighton High School, Utah, who met Biden on the photo line.
A Facebook video for the event showed a group of excited students waving at Biden. “I met you on your book tour!” he cried out to him as he stood on stage in his suit and tie. “Okay!” Biden said, spurring a thankful laugh.
Within Biden’s close circle, the advisor concludes that it is not wise for Trump to publicly respond to all the insults or accusations he casts his way. Doing so turns the issue into a contest between Trump and Biden, as opposed to personalizing and focusing on whether Trump is true or not.
For now, Biden’s approach is to have his agent respond to Trump’s broadside. Longtime Democratic strategist Donna Brazil said that was the right attitude.
“It makes no sense for Joe Biden to deal with Donald Trump,” she said in an interview. “The Americans aren’t looking backwards. They’re looking forward to it.”
Jill Biden found a new role for himself, not for his personal attacks. Someone close to her said to appease those worried about the Washington uproar.
“She finds herself comforting people. More and more, as she goes outside, people get closer to her looking for peace of mind,” said the person.
