A top Biden aide is taking charge of his re-election campaign
President Biden has approved a shakeup of his campaign's leadership and will send a top White House aide to take functional control of his reelection effort just as former President Donald J. Trump looks to seize control of the Republican. first match to oppose him.
The aide, Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, who was campaign manager for Mr. Biden's 2020 campaign and has served as deputy chief of staff in the White House since his presidency, will move to the Biden 2024 headquarters in Wilmington, Del. and lead the campaign's efforts, according to five people familiar with the discussions.
It is unclear exactly what title Ms. O'Malley Dillon will assume during the campaign or when the announcement will be made, although it could come later this week. Julie Chávez Rodríguez, manager of the campaign since shortly after it began in April, is expected to remain on the campaign staff in a senior role.
The Biden campaign did not comment on the record.
The move formalizes a setup in which Mrs. O'Malley Dillon has spent months overseeing the direction of the campaign from Washington.
When the Biden campaign held a retreat for staff members at its headquarters in December, it was Ms. O'Malley Dillon who led the proceedings — not Ms. Chávez Rodríguez, according to two people who attended the session but were not authorized to speak publicly to discuss the issue. It.
Donors, operatives, elected officials and other Democrats who support Mr. Biden are increasingly concerned about a campaign structure in which big and even small decisions are made by White House aides and implemented by campaign staff in Delaware.
In recent months, former President Barack Obama met with Mr. Biden at the White House and expressed concerns about the split settlement, according to an account of their discussion reported by The Washington Post.
The expected leadership change comes as the campaign is set to shift toward a general election posture and a more aggressive effort to contrast Mr. Biden with Mr. Trump, who won the Iowa caucuses last week and had a significant vote advantage heading into New Hampshire. Tuesday's primary against Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and his last major Republican rival.
Lisa Lerer contributed reporting from Manchester, NH