Biden aides pushed for early debate with Trump: Memo

Former President Biden’s top aides urged him to take part in the debate against President Trump last summer that ultimately drove Biden to drop his reelection campaign last year, a newly released memo shows.

“The earlier YOU are able to debate the better, so that the American people can see YOU standing next to Trump and showing the strength of YOUR leadership, compared to Trump’s weakness and chaos,” a group identified as senior advisers wrote in an April 15 memo to Biden that was published Monday via Politico Playbook. “After further discussion, YOUR Senior Advisors, including Ron and Cedric, continue to believe it is important to move forward with a plan that supports YOUR participation in debates as early as possible.”

Former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain led Biden’s debate prep before he faced Trump in the disastrous July 2024 head-to-head, while former White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond was a 2020 and 2024 Biden campaign co-chair. Both have been close political confidants of Biden for years.

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