Washington – Former President Joe Biden told certain Democratic leaders that he would collect funds, to campaign and do everything necessary for Democrats to recover lost ground while the Trump administration fell back the programs that the party has helped to design, according to people close to him.
Biden met in private last month with the new president of the National Democratic Committee Ken Martin, and proposed to help when the party has a hard time regaining its viability in the middle of the survey which shows that its popularity has flowed, said the people.
Until now, the opening of Biden seems to have fallen flat. Democrats find themselves drifting, throwing a convincing messenger.
What is is not Biden, many activists and donors of the party support. He was attached to defeat in 2024 and, at 82, is a more symbol of the past of the party than his future, they support.
“Who will want Joe Biden to come back in the match?” said a big supporter of Biden, speaking under the guise of anonymity to speak frankly about him.
A DNC spokesperson did not provide a comment or rendering Martin available for an interview.
A new NBC News survey shows that the popularity of the Democratic Party has dropped to a record hollow. Only 27% of registered voters said they had positive party opinions – the lowest figure in the 1990 network survey.
Asked about the prospect of reintegrating the political sphere, President Donald Trump told journalists on the oval office on Friday: “I hope yes.”
Former First Lady Jill Biden is also ready to campaign and collect funds for her democratic colleagues when she and her husband settle in the life of Delaware, said a person close to her.
“She recognizes that serving in the capacities she served is an honor and it is accompanied by responsibilities for the party. And she is ready to help in any way possible,” said the person.
The two bidens shake post-presidential lives outside the partisan political work to which they volunteered.
Everyone plans to write a book. While Biden is developing a theme for his memoirs, he consulted former senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the national security advisor Jake Sullivan and the main advisers of the White House Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti.
He divided his time between Delaware and Washington for meetings in the offices provided by the federal government. Like his habit as an American senator, he often commuts via Amtrak.
The first OneTime couple was shocked when Trump suddenly announced this week that he was End of the protection of secret services For their two adult children, Hunter and Ashley, the person close to Jill Biden said. They had had no warnings, said another familiar person. Their first question was whether their two children would be safe.
Bidens have not had its functions for only two months. After the end of Trump’s first term in 2021, the president of the time, Biden, extended the protection of Trump adult children for six months.
Although Biden is willing to help, Democrats are not unanimous in wanting to do them. Some party activists believe that Biden is an admired figure that remains a draw in a grateful party.
Jane Kleeb, Vice-President of the DNC, said in an interview: “If you were to call a president of the State Party and ask them if they wanted Joe Biden to be an honorary speaker for their annual dinner, the response would be yes. He is loved by the party and loved by voters. ”
Others argue that reminding the voters of a 2024 campaign which has become sour is not the best strategy for a party that enters a message and is looking for new younger leaders. A CNN survey This month has asked Democrats and the self-employed of Democrats which leader best reflects the fundamental values of the party. Only 1% chose Biden.
In addition, the injuries of 2024 are still fresh, many Democrats have been injured by Biden’s decision to show up again and stay in the race up to a few months before the elections, leaving the vice-president Kamala Harris shortly to organize his own campaign.
Alan Kessler, a long -standing democratic fundraising collection of Philadelphia, said in an interview: “There are many people in the Democratic Party who were obviously very frustrated by the way things went last year, but there are many people who still love Joe Biden.”
At the “appropriate moment”, Biden can be an asset for the party by campaigning in selected areas, such as his hometown, Scranton, Pennsylvania, but isn’t it, added Kessler.
“It’s time to move on with a new leadership,” he said.
Biden has no regret, said a person familiar with his private conversations. He remains provocative and believes that Trump’s victory shows that the party has done nothing favors by pushing it to abandon the race, said the source.
One person in particular seems eager to see Biden returning to the political stadium: Trump. The new president used his enormous audience to make sure that the Americans do not quickly forget the old one.
Trump has publicly mentioned that Biden, Biden family members or the Biden administration on average seven times a day since the start of his second term, according to an NBC News review of his remarks, interviews and publications on social networks.
Overall, Trump invoked his predecessor in a form or more than 400 times since the inauguration on January 20. In most cases – more than 325 – Trump mentioned Biden alone. In about 75 cases, Trump mentioned members of the Biden family or the Biden administration.
The context in which Trump evokes his predecessor often implies immigration, inflation, elections or foreign wars, as well as questions involving the Ministry of Justice.
Speaking at the Ministry of Justice last week, Trump questioned the use by Biden of an autopen to sign documents, calling him “disrespectful in the office” and “Maybe not even valid. “”
The Ministry of Justice blessed the use of an autopen in a memo in 2005, and the Constitution has no requirement that the president signs documents of his own hand.
Vice-president JD Vance also uses Biden as a sheet. During a technological summit this week, Vance took time in his speech to take a blow on the mental acuity of Biden – a problem that rose the former president throughout the campaign.
“To defend Joe Biden, he was sleeping most of the time. I don’t think he completely realized what he was doing,” said Vance.
When he was asked why Trump talks about Biden so frequently, the press secretary of the White House, Karoline Leavitt, said: “We always solve so many problems created or launched by the Biden administration. It is important to remind the American people and the media why these problems exist.”
A defense that Trump’s supporters use to rationalize his attacks against the political enemies perceived is that he is a “counterpour out”. But here, Biden has already left the ring. He has not shown any punching since Trump escorted him to the helicopter on the day of the inauguration for his departure from the American Capitol.
Indeed, the first speaking event of Biden since his departure came last week without fanfare. He appeared in New York for a conference on the United Nations National Model in Manhattan. Six months after talking before the real UN for his last time as president, Biden gave a speech to his facsimile in a ballroom at the hotel. He also took questions and asked for photos with the students.
“He asked me questions about my future, and I told him how much he inspired me to enter the field of politics,” said Suzy Radzinski, 18, a senior at Brighton High School of Utah, who met Biden on the photo line.
A Facebook video From the event has shown that a group of excited students bounded in Biden. “I met you during your book tour!” He was shouted as he was on stage in a costume and a tie. “All right!” said Biden, causing appreciable laugh.
Inside the tight circle of Biden, the advisers concluded that it is not wise for him to respond publicly to each insult or accusation that Trump launches his way. This would personalize the problem, by transforming it into a competition between Trump and Biden, instead of keeping the accent on the fact that Trump is truthful or not.
Biden’s approach is to allow substitutes to react to Trump widths. Donna Brazile, longtime democrat strategist, said it was the right posture.
“It makes no sense for Joe Biden to answer Donald Trump,” she said in an interview. “Americans do not look back; They are impatiently awaiting. “
Rather than taking the attacks personally, Jill Biden found a new role for herself: soothing those who are upset by the tumult in Washington, said the person close to her.
“She finds herself comforting. More and more, as she is on the move, people come to her who seeks insurance,” said the person.