NYT Names Biden's Three Key Advisers
- 23.06.2024, 15:37
The US President is being prepared for debates with Trump.
Attorney Mike Donilon, lawyer Ron Klain and former Delaware Senator Ted Kaufman are the top advisers to US President Joe Biden ahead of the November elections, The New York Times writes, citing sources close to the head of state's inner circle.
According to the publication, Biden calls Donilon several times a day to discuss the results of the latest polls and media reports, plans a weekly confrontation with Klain against Republican Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election with Klain, and always meets with Kaufman during trips to Delaware.
“These three are at the center of Biden's world,” the NYT publication says. “At key moments, each of them has told the president news he didn't want to hear, although none of them said no when he was considering whether to run for a second term. They are also decades older than the young voters who could decide the election, which worries many of the president's allies.”
“Everyone understands and appreciates that when they speak for the president, they are completely conveying his thoughts,” the publication quotes former White House communications director Kate Bedingfield as saying. “Very few people whose last name is not Biden know him better than these three”.
Former press secretary to the first lady of the United States Michael Larosa noted that these advisers “have the trust not only of Biden, but of everyone who matters most to him”. In particular, he meant the president's wife, Jill Biden.
Donilon and Klain recently visited the US presidential residence in Maryland to prepare him for the debate with Trump, which will take place on June 27 in Atlanta, writes the NYT.
“Donilon is perhaps the closest thing to Mr. Biden's alter ego — someone who can guess what the president is thinking and translate it into a political message,” the NYT publication says.
At the same time, former Ohio Governor John Kasich, a Republican who endorsed Biden at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, criticized the US President for having advisers “who are also close friends”. “When your circle is too small, you know, it leads to shortcomings in everything you do,” he said.
Earlier, The Washington Post (WP) wrote that when making important decisions, Biden seeks advice from politicians who have experience working with voters and depend on their votes, in particular senators. At the same time, the publication's sources note that it does not matter to him whether his interlocutors represent the Democratic or Republican Party, whether they hold office or are retired, or whether they live in an urban or rural area. Biden relies on those he has known for a long time. In particular, WP writes, this is the reason why former member of the House of Representatives, Democrat Cedric Richmond and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu ended up in the White House.
The US presidential election will be held on November 5. Trump and Biden are expected to be the main rivals. According to the results of a Bloomberg News and Morning Consult poll, 82% of respondents called 81-year-old Biden too old, and 59% of respondents considered Trump dangerous.