'Massive' PR Campaign Underway To Reject Calls For Biden To Drop Out

Following this weekend's conclave between President Joe Biden and his family advisors, a 'massive' PR campaign is underway to reject calls for him to drop his re-election campaign and rally Democrats to stop publicly debating about his age and future, Axios reports.

According to the report, Biden has 'zero interest' in stepping aside, while First Lady Jill Biden, family and friends agree despite the fact that the Democratic party doesn't want him to continue following last Thursday's horrendous debate that validated years of reporting on the president's cognitive decline.

Biden, who has avoided tough interviews and taking actual questions during press conferences, is now considering doing so in a town hall format, or a big one-on-one interview, or both.

This weekend's Sunday gathering at Camp David included a 'long-scheduled session with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, while the Bidens insisted that Joe stay in the race.

"They're all-in, and want him to stay in," a Biden source told Axios, adding that the campaign is "charging ahead."

Behind the scenes: Some Biden friends and family blamed longtime aides who had prepped Biden. They complained about everything from data-heavy answers to his makeup to his briefing on camera angles.

• But the president smoothed it over: He called former chief of staff Ron Klain, who led the team, and one of the things they talked about was that neither he nor the family blames the prep.
• Campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz told us: "The aides who prepped the president have been with him for years, often decades, seeing him through victories and challenges. He maintains strong confidence in them."
• Klain, who is expected to lead Biden's prep for the second debate — on ABC on Sept. 10 — told us: "In 38 years of working with Joe Biden, we've had many successes and some failures. I'm always happy to share in the good results and assume my share of the responsibility for the times we've come up short."

According to Biden's inner circle, 'one bad night of a scratchy voice and a few mangled answers doesn't warrant ending it all,' so they're 'unleashing the full power of the White House and top Democrats to resist the loud calls for him to give up the race."

"You guys don't get to decide," one source close to Biden told the outlet, referring to high-profile Democrats who want him out. "That's not how this works. We don't have smoke-filled rooms."

"They just have to cool down," the source added. "We live in a democracy, at least for now."

Axios then posted an 8-point plan to keep Biden in:

1. Dismiss "bedwetting." The official White House and campaign line is this is much ado about nothing — that Biden works so hard it drains his young staff. This attitude is driving elected officials and donors — basically any top Democrat not on the Biden payroll — nuts. They feel it's delusional. Nonetheless, Biden allies are cranking out data and pushing out surrogates to insist he had one bad night, mostly because of a scratchy voice and over-preparation.
2. Squeeze polls for juice. Biden allies are circulating polls and focus group results showing the debate did little to change the dynamics of the race. They're ignoring contrarian results — like a CBS/YouGov poll out Sunday that shows a surge in voters who think Biden is not up for the job. If you're to believe the polls: Voters thought Biden lost the debate and seemed too old. But there's little evidence they're moving fast to Trump. Both seem true.
3. Warn of chaos. Biden allies are making plain in private conversations the perils of an open convention — and the risk of picking a Democrat even more unpopular than Biden, namely Vice President Kamala Harris. They know Biden just needs to make it to the Democratic convention in Chicago, which opens eight weeks from today. After that, unity is the only choice.
4. Limit dissent. Biden allies helped orchestrate the supportive tweets by former Presidents Clinton and Obama. Those happened after furious back-channeling by allies. Truth is, that was the easy part.
5. Keep elected leaders close. The White House knows Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are deeply concerned that an unpopular Biden could cost them seats on Election Day. Their members in tough races are scared, and several plan to run away from Biden. Former Sen. Tom Harkin, who served with Biden in the Senate for 20+ years, said in an email to supporters that the debate was "a disaster from which Biden cannot recover."
6. Get the donor class to chill. Jeffery Katzenberg and other top Biden backers are working the phones to reassure the deep pockets, while the campaign and DNC keep turning out fundraising appeals and highlighting successes. Some donors are blaming the staff — not the man on stage. John Morgan, a Florida personal-injury-law magnate who's a top Democratic donor, tweeted Sunday that Biden's debate-prep team is guilty of political malpractice: "Format was a disaster for him and a plus for Trump. He over practiced and was drained."
7. Prove vitality. Words can't capture how elated top officials were that Biden was as vigorous as he was at a rally in North Carolina the day after the debate. They're looking for as many opportunities as possible to show that he's still on his game and not too old for the gig. They know words are useless — they need vitality in action.
8. Ignore/engage the media. On the one hand, Biden allies want everyone to ignore the prominent columnists who loved Biden and are now calling for his resignation. On the other, the campaign and White House are deeply engaged with reporters (like us) writing about presidential fitness.

Meanwhile, Biden donors are allegedly putting together a fund that would go to any Dem nominee except Biden.

We can't imagine what Andrew Yang is talking about - for just weeks ago the president of Media Matters, the arbiters of truth, suggested that it's actually Trump who has cognitive decline.