President Biden’s announcement that he was dropping out of the 2024 race stunned a number of White House staffers who believed he would stay the course.
Many reportedly learned of the historic news from social media.
“We’re all finding out by tweet,” one Democrat close to the matter told Politico. “None of us understand what’s happening.”
In another clear indication of the upheaval surrounding the announcement, the campaign put out an email blast seeking donations for “Joe and Kamala” eight minutes after Biden announced he was ending his candidacy.
Biden campaign workers in Delaware, where Biden has been holing up since Wednesday when he was diagnosed with COVID-19, were still operating business as usual right up until the announcement, placing calls to delegates ahead of the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“I don’t think a soul in Delaware knew,” a Biden state official told the outlet of campaign staffers’ apparent surprise at the suddenness of the news.