Anita Dunn Explains Why Biden Was "Really Forced Out of the Race"
The experienced presidential adviser attributes the issues to both the media and her political party.
TroibNews 
Anita Dunn has no regrets about organizing an unprecedentedly early debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump and disputes that Biden’s performance was disastrous for critical voters.
In a Playbook Deep Dive podcast interview, the veteran Biden adviser described her experience watching the debate and monitoring undecided voters' reactions in real-time. She noted, “Voters didn’t particularly like Biden’s performance in the first half hour. He wasn’t scoring well at all. But it’s not as though they walked out,” she said. “They very much liked a lot of the second half of the debate for Joe Biden. They hated Donald Trump.”
Despite this, the fallout for the campaign was severe. The intent to create a comparative choice between Biden and Trump, rather than merely a referendum on Trump, didn’t go as planned.
Nonetheless, Dunn maintained hope that Biden could persevere even in the challenging weeks that followed. Having witnessed Biden’s political resurgence in the 2020 campaign after early defeats, Dunn and the Biden team anticipated a similar turnaround. They strategized to navigate the media criticism and party doubts, aiming to sustain Biden’s candidacy until the convention vote.
However, this time was different. Key figures like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Barack Obama, and Hakeem Jeffries were skeptical of Biden’s enduring viability.
Dunn's role with Biden has concluded, but she remains active in politics, moving to the Future Forward PAC to support Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. During her interview, Dunn touched on Biden’s final campaign days, Harris’s emerging political opportunities, and more.
The conversation has been edited for length and clarity by Playbook Deep Dive’s producers Kara Tabor and Alex Keeney. Listen to the full interview here:
### Interview Excerpt:
**How crazy has the summer of 2024 been for you in American politics given your history?**
Dunn characterized the summer as highly crazy, comparable to the chaos of February 2020, which included the dramatic period between the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday.
**About the decision to have an early debate on CNN on June 27, abandoning the Commission on Presidential Debates format?**
Dunn recounted the rationale behind the decision, which included the early clarity of Biden and Trump as the nominees and the need for greater scrutiny on Trump. She dismissed concerns about the commission, emphasizing that the Biden campaign had not been approached by the commission to discuss dates or locations.
**Concerns about Biden participating in the early debate?**
Dunn expressed confidence in Biden’s debate abilities, citing both the 2020 debates and his performance in challenging settings like the State of the Union address.
**Discussion around strategic timing?**
The early debate was part of a strategy to generate political momentum concurrently with Trump’s surge around the Republican convention. The aim was to initiate the voter choice process early and counter Trump's momentum.
**Preparation insights and Biden’s cold during the debate week?**
Dunn acknowledged Biden had a severe cold, though it was not COVID, which possibly affected his performance. Despite this, the team saw no signs of a problematic debate performance during preparations.
**Watching the debate and voter reactions?**
Dunn described monitoring a focus group of undecided voters who initially reacted poorly to Biden but favored him in the latter half of the debate while disliking Trump. This feedback suggested that the debate's impact wasn’t catastrophic in terms of shifting voter support.
**Narrative and press environment post-debate?**
Despite some negative fallout and internal party dissent, Dunn emphasized that polling data showed minimal change post-debate. The escalating negative press narrative, rather than the debate itself, played a significant role in shaping public perception.
**Reactions from within the Democratic Party?**
Dunn acknowledged receiving extensive feedback from distressed Democrats immediately post-debate, although the campaign maintained a different perspective based on direct voter reactions.
**Perspective on party leaders and Biden's resilience?**
Dunn reflected on the challenging dynamics within the party and emphasized Biden’s resilience and the unity displayed by his supporters, particularly from progressive leaders like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
**Final decision and transition to Harris’s campaign?**
Biden’s clear commitment to supporting Harris was underscored, with Dunn conveying confidence in Harris’s ability to unite the party and define herself positively to voters. The strategic and emotional shift from Biden to Harris, though complex, was seen as necessary for the party’s success in the upcoming election.
**Looking forward to future political work and the convention?**
Dunn expressed optimism about the party's future-oriented focus and the positive, change-driven atmosphere anticipated at the convention, stressing the importance of maintaining momentum against Trump.
The podcast closes with Dunn discussing the personal and professional transition from her role in the White House to her new position and the challenges ahead in American politics. Listen to the full interview on Playbook Deep Dive on Apple, Spotify, or other podcast platforms.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
In a Playbook Deep Dive podcast interview, the veteran Biden adviser described her experience watching the debate and monitoring undecided voters' reactions in real-time. She noted, “Voters didn’t particularly like Biden’s performance in the first half hour. He wasn’t scoring well at all. But it’s not as though they walked out,” she said. “They very much liked a lot of the second half of the debate for Joe Biden. They hated Donald Trump.”
Despite this, the fallout for the campaign was severe. The intent to create a comparative choice between Biden and Trump, rather than merely a referendum on Trump, didn’t go as planned.
Nonetheless, Dunn maintained hope that Biden could persevere even in the challenging weeks that followed. Having witnessed Biden’s political resurgence in the 2020 campaign after early defeats, Dunn and the Biden team anticipated a similar turnaround. They strategized to navigate the media criticism and party doubts, aiming to sustain Biden’s candidacy until the convention vote.
However, this time was different. Key figures like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Barack Obama, and Hakeem Jeffries were skeptical of Biden’s enduring viability.
Dunn's role with Biden has concluded, but she remains active in politics, moving to the Future Forward PAC to support Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. During her interview, Dunn touched on Biden’s final campaign days, Harris’s emerging political opportunities, and more.
The conversation has been edited for length and clarity by Playbook Deep Dive’s producers Kara Tabor and Alex Keeney. Listen to the full interview here:
### Interview Excerpt:
**How crazy has the summer of 2024 been for you in American politics given your history?**
Dunn characterized the summer as highly crazy, comparable to the chaos of February 2020, which included the dramatic period between the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday.
**About the decision to have an early debate on CNN on June 27, abandoning the Commission on Presidential Debates format?**
Dunn recounted the rationale behind the decision, which included the early clarity of Biden and Trump as the nominees and the need for greater scrutiny on Trump. She dismissed concerns about the commission, emphasizing that the Biden campaign had not been approached by the commission to discuss dates or locations.
**Concerns about Biden participating in the early debate?**
Dunn expressed confidence in Biden’s debate abilities, citing both the 2020 debates and his performance in challenging settings like the State of the Union address.
**Discussion around strategic timing?**
The early debate was part of a strategy to generate political momentum concurrently with Trump’s surge around the Republican convention. The aim was to initiate the voter choice process early and counter Trump's momentum.
**Preparation insights and Biden’s cold during the debate week?**
Dunn acknowledged Biden had a severe cold, though it was not COVID, which possibly affected his performance. Despite this, the team saw no signs of a problematic debate performance during preparations.
**Watching the debate and voter reactions?**
Dunn described monitoring a focus group of undecided voters who initially reacted poorly to Biden but favored him in the latter half of the debate while disliking Trump. This feedback suggested that the debate's impact wasn’t catastrophic in terms of shifting voter support.
**Narrative and press environment post-debate?**
Despite some negative fallout and internal party dissent, Dunn emphasized that polling data showed minimal change post-debate. The escalating negative press narrative, rather than the debate itself, played a significant role in shaping public perception.
**Reactions from within the Democratic Party?**
Dunn acknowledged receiving extensive feedback from distressed Democrats immediately post-debate, although the campaign maintained a different perspective based on direct voter reactions.
**Perspective on party leaders and Biden's resilience?**
Dunn reflected on the challenging dynamics within the party and emphasized Biden’s resilience and the unity displayed by his supporters, particularly from progressive leaders like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
**Final decision and transition to Harris’s campaign?**
Biden’s clear commitment to supporting Harris was underscored, with Dunn conveying confidence in Harris’s ability to unite the party and define herself positively to voters. The strategic and emotional shift from Biden to Harris, though complex, was seen as necessary for the party’s success in the upcoming election.
**Looking forward to future political work and the convention?**
Dunn expressed optimism about the party's future-oriented focus and the positive, change-driven atmosphere anticipated at the convention, stressing the importance of maintaining momentum against Trump.
The podcast closes with Dunn discussing the personal and professional transition from her role in the White House to her new position and the challenges ahead in American politics. Listen to the full interview on Playbook Deep Dive on Apple, Spotify, or other podcast platforms.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
