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Former top Biden political aide Mike Donilon told lawmakers he was paid $4 million to lead President Joe Biden’s reelection effort—and revealed he would have earned another $4 million if Biden had successfully defeated Donald Trump. Axios reported the undisclosed bonus late Thursday, highlighting the massive financial incentive tied to Biden’s political comeback.
Donilon appeared before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into Biden’s fitness for office, amid claims from President Donald Trump that Biden’s aides were effectively running the country using an “autopen”—a device that replicates the president’s signature.
Biden, who left office in January at age 82, has been the subject of multiple books suggesting his cognitive decline was worse than publicly acknowledged. Donilon, who had worked with Biden since the 1980s, left the White House in early 2024 to head up his reelection campaign.
Axios reported that Donilon’s compensation, which far exceeded the $300,000 salary of campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, caused friction among other aides and Democrats. According to Axios’ Alex Thompson and CNN’s Jake Tapper in the book Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, Donilon’s financial stake may have influenced his push for Biden to remain in the 2024 race.
Donilon testified that he believed Democrats overreacted to Biden’s disastrous June 2024 debate performance against Trump—a moment that triggered intense pressure for Biden to step aside. Less than a month later, Biden withdrew, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost to Trump in November.
In his testimony, Donilon acknowledged Biden had shown signs of aging but insisted he remained capable. “Every president ages over the four years of a presidency and President Biden did as well,” Donilon stated. “But he also continued to grow stronger and wiser as a leader as a result of being tested by some of the most difficult challenges any president has ever faced. I thought that experience was enormously valuable for the nation.”
A spokesperson for Biden declined to comment. Other top aides have also testified, including former counselor Steve Ricchetti and Biden’s first Chief of Staff Ron Klain. Upcoming witnesses are expected to include his second Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, senior adviser Anita Dunn, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates, and Ian Sams, former spokesperson for the White House Counsel’s Office.
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