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By Andrew Stanton
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Lindy Li, a former fundraiser for former President Joe Biden, said she feels "agony" over not speaking up moreabout his alleged decline.
Newsweek reached out to Biden's press office for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Biden's age remains a divisive issue among Democrats, many of whom believe his decision to run again, despite concerns that he was too old to serve another four years in office, may have cost them the election against President Donald Trump last year.
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Others, however, say age concerns have been blown out of proportion and that Democrats who called for him to step aside are to blame for leaving the party in a weaker position.
Li spent the last decade as an influential Democratic donor and surrogate but has repositioned herself as more conservative after Trump's victory last November. She has frequently spoken out against Democrats this year despite her past support for the party.
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What To Know
Li addressed Biden's alleged decline in an interview with journalist Tara Palmeri, who published it on YouTube on Wednesday. Li said she began to believe Biden was not "as quick as he was before" in 2022 and noticed that he would need notecards "for simple things" at events, she said.
She believed Biden was given questions beforehand during a small event in February 2023 and that his answers came across as "rehearsed," she said. Li also said donor photos took a long time because Biden looked "really old."
"There are photos that I have of me and him that make him look really bad. Like really, really old," Li said.
She also said she raised concerns about Democrats' stance on immigration, but some in the party dismissed those concerns.
Despite these concerns, Li remained a vocal champion for Biden and Palmeri asked then-Vice President Kamala Harris throughout the 2024 election, frequently sharing support for Democrats on social media, where she built a substantial following. Palmeri asked Li if she had any "regrets" about her time with Biden and not doing anything to share her concerns at the time.
"Trust me, I do all the time," Li said. "It causes me agony."
Li told Newsweek on Friday she felt "deceived" by the interview, reiterating that an excerpt of her upcoming book discussed during the interview, was a rough draft, and that she asked Palmeri's team not to share the excerpt. The excerpt stated that Li had free reign of the White House during the Biden administration and led to a confrontation between the two during the interview.
Li said during the interview that the page was written by a ghostwriter and not accurate.
Palmeri responded during the interview when Li said it was not meant to be shared publicly, "But if it's like a fact, it's a fact. Because you wrote it, you were probably going to publish it, right?" Palmeri also said she is "not here to ambush" Li.
Palmeri disputed that account to Newsweek, stating that Li came on the show with the premise to discuss the book. She said her team did not publish the excerpt from the book, but only referenced it in the interview. She said the excerpt was in a PDF format that appeared to be a pitch from a publisher and that she was surprised to hear the book had not been published when they sat down for the interview.
Li, meanwhile, also told Newsweek she brought up concerns about Biden at the time but said she "could have brough it up more forcefully."
In the weeks following the election, Li increasingly broke with the party before leaving it altogether. Li has frequently discussed her exit from the Democratic Party after the election, previously describing it as "leaving a cult" and saying she was ostracized from the party after questioning former Vice President Kamala Harris' abilities to lead the party to victory.
She's since said she is supporting Republicans in the midterms.
What People Are Saying
Former Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Jaime Harrison responded to her interview on X: "Hilarious... in this interview Lying Lindy name checks @kenmartin73 and me to say that she expressed to us her concerns. Haha! You want to know what her 'concerns' were... "
Author John Pavlovitz responded: "I knew Lindy Li, worked closely with her on a huge Kamala fundraiser. She endorsed my book and I considered her a friend. The second the election was decided, she immediately pivoted to Trump and started trying to rebrand herself as a victim of the 'Dem cult.'"
Lindy Li during the interview: "This is my truth. Take it or leave it. I don't need you, Tara Palmeri, I don't need you to believe me. And I have the receipts."
What Happens Next
Democrats are working to regroup after the 2024 election in hopes of reclaiming a congressional majority in the 2026 midterms. Historically, the party of the president in power loses seats during the midterms, giving Democrats some hope about the midterms.
Update 5/9/25 5:45 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Li.
Update 5/9/25 6:04 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Palmeri.
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