Some major Democratic donors have told the largest pro-Biden super PAC, Future Forward, that roughly $90 million in pledged donations is now on hold if President Biden remains atop the ticket, according to two people who have been briefed on the conversations.
The frozen contributions come as he had hoped to turn the page on a weekslong crisis within his party following a nearly hourlong news conference on Thursday evening. That appearance — in which he delivered a few gaffes but also demonstrated a command of foreign policy — did not immediately seem to worsen Democrats’ fears about his viability, but it also did not silence the calls for him to drop out. After he was done speaking, three more House members joined the ranks of elected Democrats calling for Mr. Biden to end his campaign.
Here’s what else to know:
The frozen contributions come as he had hoped to turn the page on a weekslong crisis within his party following a nearly hourlong news conference on Thursday evening. That appearance — in which he delivered a few gaffes but also demonstrated a command of foreign policy — did not immediately seem to worsen Democrats’ fears about his viability, but it also did not silence the calls for him to drop out. After he was done speaking, three more House members joined the ranks of elected Democrats calling for Mr. Biden to end his campaign.
Here’s what else to know:
- Michigan swing: Mr. Biden on Friday is headed to Detroit, in the crucial battleground state of Michigan, and will focus attacks on Project 2025, a blueprint of conservative policy proposals, created by Mr. Trump’s allies, for a future Republican administration. Mr. Biden will be joined in Michigan by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and several Democratic members of Congress. He will travel to his beach home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., after his campaign stop in Detroit.
- Democrats divided: Reactions to Mr. Biden’s high-profile news conference were mixed. The president delivered a competent presentation, and his performance in the unscripted setting heartened some of his supporters. One of his key allies, Representative James E. Clyburn, said on Friday that the party should stop talking about whether the president is fit to run and respect his decision to stay in the race. If he stepped aside, Mr. Clyburn, Democrat of South Carolina, said he would “absolutely” endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee.
- Vice president: Even as Mr. Biden dismissed the notion of making way for an alternative candidate, he defended Ms. Harris’s qualifications to one day be president. The Biden campaign has been quietly testing Ms. Harris’s chances against Mr. Trump this week.
- Losing Hollywood: Ashley Judd on Friday became the latest prominent celebrity to call for Mr. Biden to step aside, saying that in her native Tennessee, “Americans have already made up their minds against President Biden.” Many in Mr. Biden’s stable of big donors in Hollywood have closed their wallets.
