A top US State Department official, chief protocol officer Rufus Gifford, is expected to leave government at the end of July to join President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, where he will oversee outreach to Democratic donors, according to people familiar with the hire.
(Bloomberg) — A top US State Department official, chief protocol officer Rufus Gifford, is expected to leave government at the end of July to join President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, where he will oversee outreach to Democratic donors, according to people familiar with the hire.
Gifford’s move signals the Biden 2024 team is entering a new phase, roughly 16 months from the next presidential election. With a campaign manager and top deputies in place, the president has been ramping up fund-raising efforts. In recent weeks, Biden has visited California, New York and Maryland to headline small gatherings with top donors.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Biden campaign declined to comment.
Gifford’s move comes as Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, a co-chair of Biden’s campaign, has also worked to bolster the president’s fund-raising effort.
Though Biden is not facing a serious Democratic challenger, political operatives expect the general-election campaign to be an expensive and bruising one — especially if he ends up in a rematch with former President Donald Trump, who polls show is the Republican frontrunner.
Biden, already the oldest US president in history at 80, is plagued by persistently low approval ratings and questions about his health and fitness to serve another four years. The president has stepped up his campaign events in recent weeks to tout his accomplishments, including his agenda of Bidenomics, with economic issues expected to be front-and-center for 2024 voters.
Just 34% of voters approve of his handling of the economy, while 64% disapprove, according to a recent poll from AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Biden’s approval rating hovers around 41%.
But donors have privately said they are willing to fund his campaign given Trump’s continuing grip on the Republican Party and the threat they believe he still poses to democracy.
Prior to working at the State Department, Gifford worked as Biden’s deputy campaign manager in 2020, focusing on finance and outreach. He also has served as the US Ambassador to Denmark, the National Finance Director for President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign and National Finance Director at the Democratic National Committee.
–With assistance from Courtney McBride.
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