President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign staff didn’t receive official communication that he was dropping out until nearly 20 minutes after the announcement went up on social media. When they finally did get an email, it directed them to Biden’s post on X.
“Team, sharing with you the letter from President Biden that was released just now. We will have more information later this afternoon,” Biden campaign managers Jen O’Malley Dillon and Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote in an all-staff email timestamped at 2:03 pm Eastern. “Look out for an invite to an all staff call. We are so grateful to be part of this team with you all. More soon.”
The email linked to a letter Biden had posted on X more than 15 minutes earlier, at 1:46 pm ET, announcing that he would no longer be seeking reelection.
Politico reported that campaign aides had been whipping delegates at the very moment the letter was posted. The New York Times reported that aides as senior as Anita Dunn, who manages communications strategy for Biden, learned that Biden would be withdrawing from the race one minute before the world did.
The future of the Biden campaign apparatus is unclear at publication time; CNN reported that discussions were already underway to bring on aides who worked for former president Barack Obama to support a campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris, who has vowed to “earn and win” the Democratic Party’s nomination.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.