Lindy Li, a former prominent Democratic fundraiser, has voiced strong criticism regarding former President Joe Biden's plans to release a memoir, suggesting the book will be a disservice and reopen painful divisions within the party. Li believes Biden's decision to explain his 2024 re-election bid in the book, titled "Promise Me, America," will exacerbate concerns about his age and cognitive performance.
"They’re thinking, ‘Why can’t you just shut the f— up?’ Prior to me leaving the party, they wanted nothing to do with this guy. It was so bad that when, finally, Biden exited on July 21, there was no goodbye party other than a staffer one in the Rose Garden. There was nothing," Li stated. She added that Jill Biden, the former first lady, is having him write books instead of enjoying retirement, a sentiment she believes reflects the party's past reluctance to support his presidential run.
Biden had described his upcoming book on X, stating it would cover national challenges, his decisions, and the reasons behind his re-election bid and subsequent withdrawal. This announcement drew skepticism and mockery from conservative figures. Steve Guest, a conservative communicator, called the book launch "the first lie of Joe Biden’s book launch." Outkick founder Clay Travis questioned the book's market appeal, and Daily Wire editor-in-chief Brent Scher and Missouri Republican Rep. Jason Smith raised doubts about Biden's authorship.
Li, who is also releasing a book, "Unburdened," later this year, stated she was privy to internal party discussions and research that indicated Biden had shaky support even among Democrats before he dropped out of the 2024 election. She expressed doubt that Biden could frame his exit in a way that would not further harm his public image.
Recalling her experience at a 2023 event, Li alleged that the Biden campaign confiscated phones from top donors with social media followings. She stated that a DNC finance director instructed her to delete posts about Biden from Instagram because he appeared "infirm" and "weak." Li believes that the memoir will further agitate Democrats who wish to move past the 2024 election and reignite questions about why Biden was not asked to step aside sooner. "It’s very clear they were trying to hide the fact that instead of having a candidate they could be proud of, they were busy hiding a candidate that they were deeply ashamed of," she said.