A former Democratic fundraiser says Kamala Harris was auditioning for Joe Biden’s endorsement behind the scenes while telling donors she fully backed him, according to an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. The insider, Lindy Li, says Harris was preparing to poach Biden’s donors just days before he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
Li, who raised campaign contributions for both Biden and Harris, says the vice president was “auditioning for Biden’s endorsement” by holding donor calls where she pretended to support him while privately signalling that she was positioning herself for the nomination. She described the situation as a “charade.”
“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’s Book
Li’s account appears in her new book, “Unburdened,” which chronicles the months leading up to Biden’s decision to suspend his campaign. As a top fundraiser for both Biden and Harris, and someone with a high profile at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Li worked with both teams to raise money.
She says the people closest to Biden understood early on that his campaign would likely collapse after his disastrous 2024 debate. The book provides additional detail about how that realization spread through the party apparatus.
“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 also details how Harris moved quickly to position herself once it became clear Biden was heading out. She recalls that Harris addressed donors about Biden’s viability as a candidate two days before he bowed out.
“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.
The Call With Donors
The timing matters. Biden announced he would no longer pursue reelection on July 21, 2024. That means Harris was telling donors as late as July 19 or 20 that Biden was not dropping out — just days before he confirmed otherwise.
Li said the call was designed to reassure donors who might be wavering. She described the dynamic as a performance, with Harris maintaining a public front of unity while privately signalling her own ambitions.
“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.
Donors Saw Through It
Li said the reaction from donors was immediate and blunt. After Biden’s announcement, she said the wealthy contributors she knew through group chats were openly dismissive of the whole operation.
“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.”
The donors, Li said, were acutely aware that Biden was struggling. They saw the signals and heard the whispers, even as Harris maintained a public posture of full support.
The Charade
Li’s central claim is that Harris was operating in two modes at once. Publicly, she supported Biden. Privately, she was positioning herself to succeed him.
“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.
The book, “Unburdened,” documents the months leading up to Biden’s decision. Li describes a campaign that insiders knew was headed toward failure, even before the debate.
The Endorsement
Li says Harris moved aggressively within the Democratic camp to shore up support after Biden’s announcement. She described a “charm offensive” that consolidated support quickly.
“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,” Li said.
Biden, according to Li, was not eager to endorse Harris immediately. She said it took him a while to commit.
The Reaction
Representatives for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The story rests entirely on Li’s account.
What This Means
Li’s account paints a picture of a party establishment that was privately resigned to Biden’s fate while publicly committed to preserving the illusion of strength. Her book, “Unburdened,” is described as a chronicle of those months.
The story is a reminder that political insiders often see things that the public does not. Li’s description of donors reacting with contempt suggests that the party’s elite was far more cynical about Biden’s prospects than anyone admitted at the time.
Whether the account holds up beyond her own telling is unclear. Readers will have to judge for themselves based on her book.
For now, the takeaway is simple: according to Li’s account, the people closest to Biden understood his campaign would likely collapse, and they acted accordingly.
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