“Ludicrous”: Donors hang up, leaving Kamala Harris irritated and disappointed

According to two individuals familiar with the conference, Vice President Kamala Harris and over 300 prominent Democratic contributors were on a Friday call that left many dissatisfied. Just before the call concluded, one donor called it “ludicrous.”

It was described as “rushed” and “mismanaged” by one caller. They stated that there had been poor management of expectations, and several participants felt chastised when they departed.

That person and two other sources said many donors joined hoping to get an insider’s view of how to move forward in the wake of President Joe Biden’s dismal debate performance and the growing number of Democrats calling for him to drop out of the race. Instead, they said donors left the call feeling disappointed and like they had not gained any new insights or helpful information.

“It was a total failure,” said one source who was on the call and who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide a candid assessment. “It was damaging. It was poor planning.”

The call had been organized by Jen O’Malley Dillon, the chair of Biden’s campaign, and not by the campaign’s finance team, according to a source familiar with the planning. One of the sources who was on the call said that the donors who participated represented a wide range of views — some diehard Biden fans, some unconvinced about his path forward and many views in between.

At the end of the call, hundreds of participants were unmuted, and one person declared that the call was “ludicrous,” according to two of the sources.

One source stressed that they took the comment to mean that the call was poorly run and not as a criticism of Harris.

During the call, Harris, who was asked to join the call by Biden’s senior advisors, praised Biden, according to campaign officials.

“We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: Our President, Joe Biden,” she said according to the campaign officials. “With every decision he makes in the Oval Office, he thinks about how it will impact working Americans. And I witness it every day.”

Harris also spoke positively about Democrats’ chances of beating former President Donald Trump. “Something I believe in my heart of hearts,” Harris said according to campaign officials. “It is something I feel strongly you should all hear and should take with you when you leave. And tell your friends too. We are going to win this election. We are going to win.”

NBC News reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.

The fallout from the call comes as donations to the Biden-Harris campaign and Democratic groups have plummeted and as Harris has been deployed several times to speak with donors as questions swirl over Biden’s future on the ticket.

The call with donors started with presentations from field organizers who expressed anger at the ongoing debate within the Democratic party about backing President Biden, given what they’ve seen and heard from voters on the ground, according to one source with direct knowledge of the discussion.

One source said before Harris joined there seemed to be an effort to stall, which they said is normal for events with high ranking officials. But what angered many donors, this source said, was that during the wait — which was about 20 minutes — donors were “admonished.” Participants of the call were told they needed to “lock in and get behind” Biden and to not pursue efforts to push out the president.

“Please help us turn down the volume on this conversation publicly,” Melissa Morales, founder and president of Somos Votantes, said on the call, according to a transcript obtained by NBC News. “It’s time to stop the leaks and the rampant rumors. Your message has been heard and received. But every day that we continue this publicly chaotic conversation, we come closer to a loss — no matter who the nominee is.”

That didn’t sit well with some on the call.