Former Biden adviser Mike Donilon blasted Democratic leaders for pushing Joe Biden out of the 2024 race, calling the move "disloyal," a "betrayal" and "undemocratic." He argued Biden was polling within three points of Donald Trump and that replacing him so close to the election was unprecedented and politically unwise. Donilon rejected claims Biden could not perform presidential duties and noted Biden was the only candidate to have beaten Trump. He also cautioned that launching a new campaign weeks before the convention was a risky strategy, while praising Vice President Harris' effort.
Ex-Biden Adviser Mike Donilon Calls Party 'Disloyal,' Says Replacing Biden Was 'Undemocratic'
Former Biden adviser Mike Donilon blasted Democratic leaders for pushing Joe Biden out of the 2024 race, calling the move "disloyal," a "betrayal" and "undemocratic." He argued Biden was polling within three points of Donald Trump and that replacing him so close to the election was unprecedented and politically unwise. Donilon rejected claims Biden could not perform presidential duties and noted Biden was the only candidate to have beaten Trump. He also cautioned that launching a new campaign weeks before the convention was a risky strategy, while praising Vice President Harris' effort.
06:50 AM, 11/21/2025Politics
Mike Donilon, a former senior adviser to President Joe Biden, sharply criticized Democratic leaders for urging Biden to leave the 2024 presidential race while speaking at a USC Center for the Political Future panel. Donilon called the decision "disloyal," "a betrayal" and "undemocratic," and argued the move ultimately cost the party the presidency.
"I thought what happened in the party, I thought it was disloyal. I thought it was an act of betrayal against the president. I thought it was undemocratic because it didn’t respect the will of Democratic primary voters," Donilon said.
Asked by moderator Elex Michaelson for his view on Biden's withdrawal, Donilon blamed those who counseled the president to step aside after a poor debate performance against President Donald Trump in June 2024. He said the decision-makers "lost their mind" and misread both the politics and the voters.
Why Donilon Opposed the Move
Donilon argued that Biden remained a strong general-election contender: at the time he was pressured to step down, Biden was reportedly polling within three points of Trump, inside typical margins of error. Donilon said replacing a nominee under those conditions was unprecedented and politically unwise.
"I thought that Joe Biden was the best candidate. I thought he was the most likely person to be elected president. I thought he would be the best president," he said.
He also rejected claims that Biden lacked the capacity to serve, stating, "No one can point to a moment in the Biden presidency when he failed to do his job as president." Donilon emphasized that Biden was the only person to have beaten Trump in a prior contest, which he considered an important asset.
Reports in December 2024 indicated Biden told allies he believed he could still defeat Trump if he had remained in the race. Donilon further criticized the idea of assembling a new campaign a few weeks before the party convention, calling it politically impractical, though he acknowledged that Vice President Kamala Harris "ran a really good race."
Donilon's remarks reflect lingering tensions inside the party over how the 2024 campaign was handled and whether leaders misjudged both electability and voter sentiment.