This was Donald Trump’s election through and through a few days ago. Now everything has changed.
And Trump is stunned by what Democrats just received at the last minute.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has amassed nearly $50 million in grassroots donations since President Biden suspended his re-election campaign and endorsed her, Fox News Digital reports.
“Since the President endorsed Vice President Harris yesterday afternoon, everyday Americans have given $49.6 million in grassroots donations to her campaign,” the Harris campaign informed Fox News Digital. This figure encompasses grassroots donations collected through “all entities, including ActBlue.”
Harris declared her presidential campaign on Sunday afternoon, shortly after Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 race due to mounting pressure from within the Democratic Party.
The unprecedented announcement followed a growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers urging Biden to step aside. Party leadership was reportedly working to convince the 81-year-old president that he couldn’t win the general election against former President Trump, the 2024 GOP nominee whom Biden defeated four years ago.
Biden swiftly offered his “full support and endorsement” for Harris as the party’s presidential nominee.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden wrote in a public letter. “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”
Biden announced plans to formally address the nation later this week regarding his decision.
In a social media post, Biden endorsed Harris as the party’s next leader. “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” he wrote.
The president’s endorsement might deter any serious competition from other Democrats who had considered running, potentially clearing the way for Harris to become the party’s nominee.
Harris has already garnered endorsements from over half a dozen governors, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, along with more than 178 Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate.
In a statement issued two hours after Biden’s announcement, Harris expressed her gratitude for the president’s endorsement and her intention to earn and win the nomination.
“Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead,” she said. “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
Harris praised Biden, thanking him “for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country. His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history, surpassing the legacy of many Presidents who have served two terms in office.”
A source familiar with the situation told Fox News that Biden and Harris spoke multiple times on Sunday before the president’s surprising announcement.
Following Biden’s endorsement, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton quickly expressed their support for Harris. “We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” they said.
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, one of Biden’s major campaign donors, also swiftly endorsed Harris.
However, former President Obama has yet to endorse Harris, instead advocating for a process to allow an “outstanding” nominee to emerge. “We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” Obama wrote in a letter.
Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama praised Biden for prioritizing the nation and the party over his personal ambitions. “Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me. Today, we’ve also been reminded — again — that he’s a patriot of the highest order,” the Obamas wrote.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have not yet endorsed Harris.
In terms of fundraising, the Trump campaign reported raising nearly $53 million in the first 24 hours after the former president was convicted in New York v. Trump in May.
Meanwhile, the Biden campaign recently reported having $91 million in cash-on-hand, which, when combined with allied Democratic Party committees, amounts to $240 million. Since both Biden and Harris were on the president’s campaign, Harris now has immediate access to the $91 million raised for their re-election effort, in addition to the $50 million in grassroots fundraising since Sunday afternoon.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
