Donors have told Future Forward, a top super PAC supporting President Joe Biden‘s 2024 reelection campaign, that they will withhold donations unless Biden is removed from the top of the Democratic ticket, according to a Friday report.
The news from the New York Times comes as questions abound about the president’s status as the Democratic nominee following a disastrous first debate with former President Donald Trump and two weeks of subsequent triage by Biden’s team.
According to the news outlet, which spoke to two people briefed on the matter, donors have momentarily paused at least $90 million in pledged donations to Future Forward.
Though Biden’s initial attempts to ease concerns about his candidacy with Democratic power players yielded results, a steady string of party lawmakers have begun actively calling for Biden to step down over the past week.
Furthermore, several Hollywood megadonors, longtime sources of campaign cash for Biden and other Democratic candidates, have openly said they won’t donate again this cycle until Biden is replaced.
The most public blow to Biden’s fundraising faucet came from George Clooney on Wednesday. The famed actor had lent both his digital and physical likeness to Biden’s fundraising efforts on multiple occasions this cycle before writing an op-ed telling Biden to back down for the good of the country.
Future Forward had previously announced a $250 million ad campaign backing Biden that would run from the Democratic National Convention in August through the election.
Nevertheless, Bidenworld allies had voiced concerns earlier this year that the super PAC wasn’t spending enough during the primary cycle.
“I don’t get the strategy,” one veteran Democratic operative told the Hill this spring. “They’re sitting on a s*** ton of money and we all know voters are framing their decisions earlier and earlier.”
Future Forward declined to comment on the New York Times report, but the Biden campaign has denied fundraising shortfalls following the debate.
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“On grassroots fundraising, the first seven days of July were the best start to the month on the campaign — and many of those were first-time donors,” Biden campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said in a statement. “On the high-dollar side, we’ve had folks max out since the debate, as well.”