'Total black hole': Biden staffers 'miserable' as post-debate anxiety builds

Critics of Donald Trump were hoping that President Joe Biden's June 27 debate with the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee would seriously damage Trump's hopes of returning to the White House. Instead, Biden's debate performance has drawn so much criticism that Trump's opponents are now having heated debates over whether or not Biden should even be the Democratic nominee.

Some Democrats are calling for Biden to drop out of the race; others are urging him to stay, arguing that looking for another nominee would be risky this late in the game.

In an article published on July 5, Axios' Alex Thompson reports that these heated conversations are causing considerable stress in the Biden White House.

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A White House official, presumably interviewed on condition of anonymity, told Axios, "Everyone is miserable, and senior advisers are a total black hole. Even if you're trying to focus on work, nothing is going to break through or get any acknowledgment (from bosses)."

Another anonymously quoted Axios source, described by Thompson as a "high-ranking Democratic National Committee official," told the publication, "The only thing that can really allay concerns is for the president to demonstrate that he's capable of running this campaign. Everything else feels like 'Weekend at Bernie's' by his inner circle to prop him up."

According to Axios sources, three of the Biden White House officials who have been helping him make up for memory lapses are Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini, aide Ashley Williams, and Anthony Bernal (First Lady Jill Biden's top adviser).

A former Biden White House aide told Axios, "Annie, Ashley and Anthony create a protective bubble around POTUS. He's staffed so closely that he's lost all independence. POTUS relies on staff to nudge him with reminders of who he's meeting, including former staffers and advisers who Biden should easily remember without a reminder from Annie."

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Read Axios' full report at this link.