Lindy Li, a member of the Democratic National Committee's finance committee, harshly criticized Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, calling it a "$1 billion disaster" and demanding accountability following Donald Trump's election win. She claimed that she and others were misled about Harris' likelihood of success in the race.
In a television appearance, Li expressed her frustration, at one point, even using an expletive to describe President Biden's last-minute decision to step down, which she described as a "f— you" to Democrats. "The truth is this is just an end epic disaster, this is a $1 billion disaster," Li who was furious at Harris told "Fox & Friends Weekend" on Saturday.
A Disaster Move by Harris
"They're $20 million or $18 million in debt. It's incredible, and I raised millions of that. I have friends I have to be accountable to and explain what happened because I told them it was a margin-of-error race."
Campaign records show that the Harris-Walz campaign raised at least $1 billion, and, together with other aligned groups, the total exceeded $1.6 billion. Another filing for October is still pending. Politico reported that, as of November 5, the campaign was $20 million in debt.
Leading up to Election Day, Harris publicly portrayed herself as the "underdog" in a race she warned would be close.
Biden, 81, had dropped out of the race on July 21 following backlash from Democrats over a poor debate showing. He quickly endorsed Harris, 60, who secured the nomination in a few weeks by rallying support from party leaders.
In July, Li had defended Biden, praising him as a "class act and consummate leader" and said on July 18 that "Biden is the MOST successful President of my lifetime." While she admitted she was "in shock" at Biden dropping out, she acknowledged that donors felt a "universal relief" when he stepped down.
On Saturday, Li harshly criticized how Biden dropped out the race, suggesting his quick endorsement of Harris was a "f you" to other Democrats. Fox News censored her use of the expletive on air, and Li refrained from repeating it.
"I actually think President Biden, the whole endorsing her 30 minutes after he dropped out, I think that was a big, 'F you' to the party. 'If you don't want me, here's somebody you may not like, deal with it,'" Li said.
"Kind of like sticking it to the man."
Biden Left With No Choice
Last week, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is believed to have been instrumental in encouraging in pushing out her fellow octogenarian Catholic Democrat, also criticized the manner in which Biden left the race.
"Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race," Pelosi told "The Interview," a New York Times podcast. "The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary."
Li expressed frustration, saying she felt "misled" regarding Harris' prospects by senior officials, including campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon.
"I was promised... Jen O'Malley Dillon promised all of us that Harris would win," she complained. "She even put videos out saying that Harris would win. I believed her, my donors believed her, and so they wrote massive checks. I feel like a lot of us were misled."
O'Malley Dillon later issued a memo to staff members, offering reflections on the campaign's loss.
"You stared down unprecedented headwinds and obstacles that were largely out of our control. We knew this would be a margin of error race, and it was," she wrote to the team.
"The whole country moved to the right, but compared to the rest of the country, the battleground states saw the least amount of movement in his direction. It was closest in the places we competed."
Trump, 78, achieved an even more decisive win on election night 2024 than in 2016, capturing all seven swing states and setting a record for the most popular votes received by a Republican candidate in U.S. history.
In contrast, Democrats are caught in a cycle of blame and intense finger-pointing following their surprising defeat.
Trump is scheduled to meet with Biden in the Oval Office on Wednesday to discuss the transition of power.
