Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly discussed "urgent, emerging needs" with Democratic donors in a last-minute meeting on Friday.
Many Democratic donors have recently halted or slowed the flow of campaign funds to President Joe Biden over uncertainty about whether he will remain at the top of the party's 2024 presidential ticket.
Harris took part in the call at the request of the White House, according to a report from The New York Times, which cited "a campaign official who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter."
An email from Reid Hoffman, a tech billionaire who is one of the party's biggest donors, reportedly indicated that the meeting would be about "urgent, emerging needs" and include the vice president and "leaders working on the front lines with voters."
"We continue to find ourselves in a rapidly evolving environment," Hoffman wrote to his "friends and allies," according to The New York Times. "With the stakes as high as they are this cycle, we have to remain focused on the critical work that needs to be done to protect our democracy."
Shortly after the call, Semafor reporter Kadia Goba claimed in a post to X, formerly Twitter, that the discussion was attempting to focus on Democrats "winning" the presidential election.
"VP Kamala Harris' call with donors just ended," Goba wrote. "A source tells me the call centered around ending the infighting and pivoting to winning."
A short time later, NBC News reporter Monica Alba wrote on X that a "source familiar" with the meeting said Harris started the call by saying "something I believe in my heart of hearts."
"It is something I feel strongly you should all hear & should take with you when you leave, & tell your friends too," Harris continued, according to Alba's post. "We are going to win this election. We are going to win."
Newsweek reached out for comment to Harris' office and the Biden/Harris campaign via email on Friday.
Biden, who has repeatedly stated publicly that he will remain the presumptive Democratic nominee, is resting in Delaware following his COVID-19 diagnosis this week. Shortly before becoming ill, Biden said during an interview with BET News that "some medical condition" might convince him to drop out.
Pressure for Biden to withdraw has been increasing following a widely panned performance in his June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump, who officially accepted the Republican Party's 2024 nomination on Thursday.
Dozens of sitting Democratic lawmakers have joined calls for Biden to make way for a new nominee in recent weeks. The president said in a statement on Friday that he would be "back on the campaign trial next week."
Despite Biden repeatedly saying that he is not dropping out, betting odds that he will leave the race reached an all-time high this week following the positive COVID-19 test and multiple reports suggesting that he might be preparing to step aside.
Update 7/19/24, 5:01 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more
