Lindy Li, a former Democratic fundraiser who changed her party affiliation after the warnings she raised about President Joe Biden’s decline went unheeded during the 2024 election, says Kamala Harris appeared to be positioning herself to win over Biden’s donors just days before he ended his campaign—even as she continued telling voters he could prevail.
Li said she navigated the situation by avoiding any public criticism of Biden.
“It was all charade. She was auditioning for Biden’s endorsement, and the way that she did it was by imposing a fake rule on her staff to not talk about her ascending to the nomination,” Li said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
Her account of the months before Biden suspended his campaign, detailed in her book, “Unburdened,” offers further insight into how people close to the president recognized that his campaign could come to a halt after his disastrous 2024 debate—and perhaps even earlier.
As a prominent fundraiser for both Biden and Harris, as well as a high-profile figure within the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Li worked with both political operations to raise contributions.
Following the election, Li publicly shared much of her insider knowledge, warning that numerous Democratic figures had recognized the campaign’s troubles but chose to remain silent. She also described how others, including Harris, quickly began preparing for what might come next.
According to Li, Harris focused on building relationships with donors who could soon support her own presidential campaign.
“I was on the call; she would host calls with donors and pretend to support Biden and say there’s no daylight between Biden and herself. All the while she was auditioning for those very donors,” Li said.
Li recalled one call in which Harris discussed Biden’s ability to remain the Democratic nominee just two days before he withdrew from the race.
“It was either on July 19th or July 20th. Actually, I think it was July 19, 2024; Kamala Harris held a call saying that there was no way that Biden would drop out and that she would stick with him until the end. And these were some of the biggest donors in the party,” Li recalled.
Biden announced on July 21 that he would end his reelection campaign.
After Biden’s announcement, Li said Harris moved swiftly to secure support within the Democratic Party while suggesting that she had Biden’s backing.
“She was flattering people left and right. The first 24 hours were a very intensive charm offensive on her part. And that’s how she was able to consolidate it so quickly. She flattered people up the wazoo. It made it abundantly clear that Biden had endorsed her. And Biden initially — I don’t know if people know this, but he didn’t want to endorse her right away. It took him a while.”
Li said some of those same donors remained unconvinced despite Harris’ public efforts to support Biden and defend his chances.
“A lot of us have group chats. And the immediate reaction is what an effing waste of time. What a charade, how fake. Like these are like the wealthiest people in the country saying that. They were very aware they were being lied to, that Biden was clearly not okay and to be told that he was okay when he was clearly incapacitated,” Li said.
“It was insulting.”
Representatives for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
