Lindy Li said Kamala Harris quickly consolidated donor support after Joe Biden exited, but some donors were skeptical of her support for him
WASHINGTON — A former prominent Democratic fundraiser alleges that Kamala Harris was actively positioning herself to take over Joe Biden’s donor base prior to his exit from the 2024 presidential race, despite publicly pledging full support for his campaign.
Lindy Li, a former fundraiser for both Biden and Harris and an influential figure within the Democratic National Committee, made the claims during an interview with Fox News Digital discussing her upcoming book, Unburdened.
Lindy Li Details Harris’s Calls to Donors
“It was all a 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.
According to Li, Harris rapidly consolidated financial support following Biden’s departure, though several major donors remained skeptical of her previous public displays of loyalty toward him.
Following the election, former Democratic insider Lindy Li went public with insider claims, raising alarms over how many party figures recognized the political reality but chose to stay silent.
Li detailed how figures like Kamala Harris prepared for a potential transition behind the scenes.
“I was on the call; she would host calls with donors and pretend to support Biden, saying there was no daylight between them. All the while, she was auditioning for those very donors,” Li said.
Li recalled a specific call with major party donors shortly before President Biden exited 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.”
Consolidating Donor Support
According to Li, Harris acted quickly to consolidate donor backing once the departure became clear.
“She was flattering people left and right. The first 24 hours were a very intensive charm offensive on her part. That’s how she was able to consolidate support so quickly,” Li noted, adding that initial endorsement decisions required brief deliberation.
Despite those efforts, Li stated that several prominent donors remained skeptical.
“A lot of us have group chats. The immediate reaction was: what an effing waste of time, what a charade, how fake,” Li said. “These are some of the wealthiest people in the country. They were well aware of the situation and felt insulted being told he was fine when he clearly wasn’t.”