Overview
- Journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf obtained a six-page April 15, 2024 memo first published by Politico Playbook and set to appear in their upcoming book.
- Advisers picked June 26 or 27 for the first debate to coincide with the Dobbs v. Jackson anniversary and to avoid conflicts with Biden’s travel schedule.
- The memo argued a spring debate would reach voters before early voting deadlines in battleground states and recommended two contests supplemented by informal Q&A sessions, a taped town hall and a five-day mock debate retreat at Camp David.
- Some advisers and a major donor urged delaying or skipping debates over concerns about Biden’s age and campaign fitness.
- Biden’s faltering performance on June 27, 2024 triggered his withdrawal and Kamala Harris’s nomination, making the memo central to campaign misstep analyses.