Ex-Dem insider says Kamala Harris was positioning to poach Joe Biden’s donors before exit
WASHINGTON, DC: A former prominent Democratic fundraiser has alleged that Kamala Harris was preparing to take over Joe Biden’s donor base before he exited the 2024 race, even as she publicly pledged her support for him.
Lindy Li, a fundraiser for both Biden and Harris and an influential figure within the Democratic National Committee, made the allegations in an interview with Fox News Digital related to her latest book, ‘Unburdened.'
Lindy Li details Kamala Harris’ donor calls before Biden exit
"It was all charade. She was auditioning for Biden's endorsement, and the way that she did it was by imposing a fake rule on her staff to not talk about her ascending to the nomination," Li said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
After I exposed how disastrous Biden’s campaign was, I was immediately excommunicated by the Biden White House and never spoke with Biden again
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) September 14, 2026
I lost everything when I told the truth
Huge thanks to the conservatives who have welcomed me in like family ♥️🇺🇸🥹 @FoxNewsSunday pic.twitter.com/eqvjQ03KWo
In the wake of the election, Li has gone public with much of her insider knowledge, raising the alarm over how many figures inside the Democratic Party had seen the writing on the wall but remained silent.
She also detailed how others, including Harris, quickly moved to prepare themselves for what would happen next.
"I was on the call; she would host calls with donors and pretend to support Biden and say there's no daylight between Biden and herself. All the while she was auditioning for those very donors," Li said.
Li recalled how, in one case, Harris addressed donors about Biden’s viability as a candidate two days before Biden bowed out.
"It was either on July 19th or July 20th. Actually, I think it was July 19, 2024; Kamala Harris held a call saying that there was no way that Biden would drop out and that she would stick with him until the end. And these were some of the biggest donors in the party," Li recalled.
Kamala Harris quickly consolidated donor support after Biden exit
According to Li, Harris moved quickly to consolidate support once Biden's exit became official, even before he had formally endorsed her.
"She was flattering people left and right. The first 24 hours were a very intensive charm offensive on her part. And that's how she was able to consolidate it so quickly. She flattered people up the wazoo."
Li added, "It made it abundantly clear that Biden had endorsed her. And Biden initially, I don't know if people know this, but he didn't want to endorse her right away. It took him a while."
Despite the vice president’s efforts to maintain her support for Biden and back his viability, Li recalled that some of those same donors didn’t buy her story.
"A lot of us have group chats. And the immediate reaction is what an effing waste of time. What a charade, how fake."
"Like these are like the wealthiest people in the country saying that. They were very aware they were being lied to, that Biden was clearly not okay and to be told that he was okay when he was clearly incapacitated," Li said. "It was insulting."
Li said many wealthy donors on those calls understood at the time that Biden's condition was being misrepresented to them.