Biden campaign tapped 24-year-old ‘social media whiz’ to post president’s dropout letter, new book reveals
Former President Joe Biden's 2024 campaign staffers scrambled to quickly roll out the then-president's announcement that he was dropping out of his reelection race on a Sunday afternoon in summer 2024, including tapping a "trusted" 24-year-old "social media whiz" to publish Biden's letter with little warning or details of the bombshell reveal, according to a new book reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Biden, as well as former first lady Jill Biden, made a series of calls to White House officials and campaign staffers July 21, 2024, that he was set to announce he was dropping out of the race, including calls to then-Vice President Kamala Harris and chair of the campaign Jen O’Malley Dillon just hours before the news went public, according to the book "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," which was published Tuesday.
O'Malley Dillon reportedly took the news in tears before she called a campaign deputy to ready a public announcement on the election exit, the book reported.
"O’Malley Dillon called one of her deputies, Rob Flaherty, but he didn’t pick up," the book claims of that hectic Sunday afternoon. "He was walking in Wilmington’s Alapocas Run State Park with his wife, Carla Frank, who oversaw the campaign’s surrogate operation. The two were talking about the state of the campaign and speculating about what might happen if Biden did drop out. About midway into their hike, Frank started to scale a rock wall, and Flaherty looked down at his phone. He saw the missed call from O’Malley Dillon, swore, and called her back."
"In forty-five minutes, we’re going to post a letter and it says that he’s going to drop out," she told him. "You can’t tell anybody. Can you get to a computer?"
Flaherty said he could be at his computer in 30 minutes, but O'Malley Dillon needed him online sooner, according to the book.
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The book detailed that Flaherty did not have access to the campaign's social media accounts despite overseeing "the campaign’s digital efforts," and called on a 24-year-old staffer to assist with the massive announcement.
"Flaherty oversaw the campaign’s digital efforts but did not have access to the social media accounts," the book detailed. "He never actually posted from them. O’Malley Dillon asked if he had someone he trusted who could hit publish. Flaherty did. His name was Parker Butler, a twenty-four-year-old social media whiz. O’Malley Dillon approved, and Flaherty called Butler."
The book continued of the pair's reported conversation: "'Are you near a computer?' he said. ‘I’m going to send you a letter in about thirty minutes. I need you to post it in forty-five minutes on Twitter and Instagram and whatever.’ He didn’t tell him what the letter would say."
Flaherty and his wife were, meanwhile, still attempting to find their way out of the woods during the dropout scramble and ultimately "sprinted up a hill and called an Uber," according to the book.
As Flaherty passed the letter announcing the drop out to Butler for publication, Biden held a Zoom meeting with White House staffers announcing the decision.
"Flaherty was in the Uber when he received the letter and passed it to Butler, around 1:35," the book found. "Around the same time, senior White House and campaign staff received an invite for a Zoom, at 1:45. As the staff logged on, Butler hit send on the letter."
"Biden, with his camera off, told his team that he had decided not to run for reelection," the book continued. "Among those finding out for the first time was Anita Dunn, who’d been one of the campaign’s top officials. Biden said a letter would be shared with the public shortly. It was already online."
Biden announced his departure from the race via the letter that was posted to his social accounts at 1:46 p.m. July 21, 2024.
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"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," the letter read. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."
Biden did not endorse Harris as his successor in the letter, but instead threw his support behind his vice president in a follow-up X post shortly thereafter.
"2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," was published Tuesday and authored by Josh Dawsey of the Wall Street Journal, Tyler Pager of the New York Times and Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post.
Biden's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the book and its claims on Tuesday afternoon.