Biden campaign tries to appease Hollywood donors after debate fiasco

EXCLUSIVE: Joe Biden's re-election campaign has a problem with some of its major donors after last night's debate fiasco, and they may have only made the situation worse.

To quell the unrest and quell a “chill,” as one insider put it, among some of the entertainment industry's most generous donors on both coasts, the president's re-election campaign tonight addressed what she probably hoped were words of comfort – 'hoped' being the key term.

“I’m sure many of you followed the debate last night,” Hailey Sasse, chief financial officer of Biden Victory Funds Southern California, said in an email Friday. “Our team has been receiving feedback from people today and I wanted to share some highlights and resources to help you navigate the conversations you may have,” he added, in words from another dimension.

Hollywood is among the outgoing president's most loyal and wealthiest supporters, but the combination of Biden's disastrous performance against Donald Trump on CNN on Thursday and tone-deaf campaign correspondence has deeply shaken the ruling class.

“The choice in this election is as simple as this: Donald Trump will destroy our democracy, Joe Biden will defend it,” campaign staffer Sasse said, acting almost as if the plummeting debate had never happened and as the New York Times The editorial board is not begging the president to give up for the good of the nation.

“This is the same race as before the debate, and post-debate polls show that voters' opinions have not changed significantly,” the campaign email added. “This race will be decided in individual key states in November 2024, just as it was in April 2023.”

Read the full Biden Victory Fund email below

The email came just hours before Vice President Kamala Harris was due to return to Los Angeles from a fundraiser in Park City, Utah, for a pricey face-off with Hollywood check writers — an encounter that could prove awkward for many involved.

Prominent figures like Jeffrey Katzenberg have so far said nothing on the donor front about Biden's stumbles and ramblings during the debates. But according to the frequent Democratic donor sources I spoke with today, the money train could stop or at least take a break, unless the campaign experiences a moment's respite or a radical reset.

One industry mogul who is a regular at presidential fundraisers told me that he and others are now taking a “wait-and-see” approach before writing another check. A New York-based entertainment mogul echoed the sentiment. “It was a nightmare, and we would be making it happen if we kept giving,” she said.

“There will at least be a break,” said another West Coast political insider. “The length of this pause will depend on the scale of the situation and whether the campaign takes concrete measures. We cannot relive the situation of last night. »

For all the goodwill Biden has earned in entertainment circles over the years, some weren't as polite.

“A fucking joke!” »

That’s what another big Tinseltown donor simply called the campaign’s approach to the debate after receiving today’s email. “Do we really think we’re idiots, we have eyes!” he added of the president’s shaky performance and how an unchecked Trump has pummeled Biden.

In particular, entertainment donors said they were insulted by the campaign's claims that Biden had won the debate, when he had clearly had, at best, a very bad night.

“Based on the research we conducted during tonight's debate, it's clear that the more voters heard about Donald Trump, the more they remembered the reasons they didn't like him,” said Becca Siegel. , Biden advisor, and Meg Schwenzfeier, campaign analysis manager, in takeaways and additional resources. accompanying the Biden damage control team on Friday.

“Meanwhile, President Biden started slowly but finished strong. In a survey of undecided voters in a Midwestern state, debate observers agreed that President Biden won the debate and that the more they saw of Donald Trump's erratic and vindictive behavior, the more they remembered why they had voted against him in 2020,” they continued. to say in a heavy quote.

Despite the rose-colored glasses the campaign wants to wear about what happened on the Atlanta debate stage last night, Los Angeles millionaires are worried. It’s a problem the Biden campaign is going to have to solve, sources tell me — sooner or later.

Read the full Biden Victory Fund email to major Hollywood donors here:

Dear Southern California Supporters,

I’m sure many of you followed last night’s debate. Our team received feedback from people today and I wanted to share some highlights and resources to help you navigate the conversations you may be having. Please see below for key data points and takeaways:

• Focus groups and live calls both show that undecided and independent voters have shifted away from Trump. The more they hear about him, the more they don't like him.

• The Biden-Harris team raised $14 million on the day of the debate and the morning after, a sign of the strength of our grassroots support. 11pm-12pm – the hour after the debate – was the best fundraising hour since the campaign launched in April 2023.

• President Biden was strong and energetic this afternoon in North Carolina in front of a cheering crowd. You can watch his speech here.

◦ The president has made clear the fundamental choice of this election: he believes we are an honest and decent nation that treats people with respect, gives everyone a fair chance, and leaves no one behind. Donald Trump believes America is a failed nation and is motivated by revenge and retaliation.

◦ As the president says: he doesn't debate as well as he used to, but when he gets knocked down, he gets back up. (And we support him!)

The choice in this election is as simple as this: Donald Trump will destroy our democracy, Joe Biden will defend it. The race will play out as it did before the debate, and polls after the debate show that voters’ opinions have not changed significantly. This race will be decided in key states in November 2024, just as it was in April 2023.

Below is a full review, but please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or would like to discuss anything in more detail.

We are extremely grateful for your support and partnership,

Hailey Sasse
Southern California CFO
Biden Victory Fund