In a series of interviews with Reuters, more than a dozen senior party campaign officials and five dozen voters and activists expressed the true extent of anger over President Joe Biden's conduct in the war on Gaza. His support is dwindling among democrats and could ultimately hurt his reelection campaign this November.
Officials said The White House had expected Democratic unrest over Gaza to diminish in time for Biden's campaign to kickstart against presumed Republican nominee Donald Trump.
With nine months until the election, the issue continues to escalate due to Biden's reluctance to advocate for a lasting ceasefire. His preferred stance has provoked frustration within a coalition of voters, ranging from young voters to Black Americans to Muslim activists in crucial swing state Michigan.
Biden's vocal and unwavering support for Israel since the October 7 Hamas attacks has created a significant divide among Democrats. As a self-declared Zionist, Biden has garnered support from some Jewish Americans, a key Democratic constituency. However, a substantial portion of younger Democrats and individuals of color express distaste, seemingly troubled by the growing death toll of Palestinians in Gaza due to Israel's collective punishment, which has now surpassed 29,700.
As Michigan's Democratic nominating contest approaches this Tuesday, Arab Americans and former supporters of Biden in 2020 are taking a stand by withholding their support, urging primary voters to check "uncommitted" at the ballot box in an early indicator test on how Biden's handling of Gaza could hurt him in the swing state.
On Feb. 8, Biden administration officials met with Arab-American community leaders in Michigan. Participants were asked not to make details public. Officials allegedly discussed humanitarian aid for Gaza and made sure to note Biden's recent and public criticism of Israel.
However, in private conversations, officials have said Biden and several of his closest advisers remain steadfast in their unwillingness to call for a permanent ceasefire despite internal pressure to change course, according to a Reuters source.
In response to questions from Reuters, Biden campaign spokesman Seth Schuster said, "The President is working to earn every vote and our campaign will continue engaging directly with voters on a range of issues," including "lasting peace in the Middle East."
The White House recently vetoed a measure calling for a permanent ceasefire at the United Nations Security Council.
Wisconsin, also a swing state, has Democratic activists planning demonstrations, said Heba Mohammad, a digital organizing director on Biden's campaign in 2020 who is now organizing protests against him.
Black Americans have declared solidarity with Palestinians and see their plight as a reflection of their own experience of oppression.
Some Gen Z and millennial Democratic voters, who voted for Biden in record numbers in 2020, see Israel's war on Gaza as evidence their voice isn't being heard in Washington.
Funnily, Biden's campaign has been surprised by the extreme anger and frustration over Israel and other foreign policies, according to about a dozen officials in his campaign, the White House, and the Democratic Party.
"We are getting hurt more than we anticipated" by Biden's support for Israel, one senior campaign adviser said.
Mitch Landrieu, the campaign co-chair, acknowledged the issue is "difficult" but said the campaign has time to dispel concerns. "You can expect a very, very aggressive outreach to all voters, young voters particularly, on all of these issues," he told Reuters during a campaign visit to Flint, Michigan.
"The President - and we're going to have to follow his lead on this - he has said many, many times, he's not thinking about this in terms of elections. He's thinking about this in terms of what the right thing to do is," Landrieu said.
"It's really dangerous," said James Zogby, a founder of the Arab American Institute and a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee.
Former Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, were defeated after ignoring warning signs within their own party. "We saw it in 2000, we saw it in 2016," noted Zogby.
Where's The Humanity?
"I don't even know if Biden views my people or my blood as true human blood," said Abdulrahman Hamad, a Palestinian-American ophthalmologist in Detroit.
Hamad said 30 members of his extended family had been killed in Gaza this month. He said he supported Biden in 2020 but has made hundreds of phone calls to convince voters to withhold their votes on Tuesday.
Democratic strategists say underestimating these concerns could be a mistake.
