President Obama spoke directly with Mr. Biden by phone after last Thursday’s debate and offered to help as a sounding board and personal adviser to the embattled former vice president, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation. It was unclear to what extent Mr. Obama directly addressed Mr. Biden’s performance or his path to reelection in the call.
“President Biden is grateful to President Obama for his unwavering support from the beginning of the campaign, both as a powerful message conveyor to voters and as the President’s direct and trusted advisor,” Biden campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said in a statement. A spokesman for Obama declined to comment.
President Obama has long been concerned about a Republican victory over Donald Trump in November and has repeatedly warned Biden in recent months how difficult it would be for him to win reelection. Just before the debate, Obama conveyed his concerns to allies about the state of the race.
As panic spreads and some Democrats call for Biden to drop out of the presidential race, Obama has not signaled such a conclusion. Aides said Obama sees his role as beneficial to Biden, given his past working relationship with him. On Friday, Obama appeared in New York at a House Democrat fundraiser and voiced his continued support for Biden.
“There are going to be bad debate nights,” President Obama wrote on social media after the debate. “Believe me, I know. But this election is a choice between someone who has spent their whole life fighting for the common man and someone who only thinks about themselves. It’s a choice between someone who will tell the truth, know right from wrong and be honest with the American people, and someone who will lie for their own gain. Last night was no different, and that’s why so much is at stake in November.”
But for months, President Obama had expressed deep concerns to Mr Biden and friends about Mr Trump’s political strength and his chances of being re-elected in November. At a private luncheon at the White House in December, Mr Obama said Mr Biden needed to empower his campaign and suggested putting senior-level decision-makers in the Wilmington headquarters. The following month, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon and Mike Donilon left the White House to become campaign chair and chief strategist, respectively.
President Obama outlined Trump’s political strengths during a private lunch with Biden last June, saying Trump benefits from a fiercely loyal supporter, a Trump-friendly conservative media environment and a deeply divided country. During that lunch, Obama also pledged to support Biden’s campaign.
Obama, the Democratic Party’s biggest star, has appeared with Biden at two major fundraisers in recent months. Last month, Biden and Obama appeared with George Clooney and Julia Roberts at a Los Angeles fundraiser that raised more than $30 million. In April, Biden, Obama and former President Bill Clinton appeared together at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, raising more than $26 million.
Dan Balz contributed to this report.
