Biden bolsters campaign with two top White House aides as focus turns to the general election

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is dispatching two of his senior-most White House advisers to bolster his Delaware-based reelection campaign as his focus shifts to the general election in November.

The moves of his deputy chief of staff Jen O'Malley Dillon, his 2020 campaign manager, and senior adviser Mike Donilon to the campaign had been expected, and campaign aides insisted it was not a sign of a broader shakeup. Though some prominent Democrats had expressed worries about Biden’s operation in Wilmington, campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez is keeping her role. The announcement comes on the same day as the New Hampshire primary, where former President Donald Trump is looking to lock in his path toward the GOP nomination.

“Mike and Jen were essential members of the senior team that helped President Biden and Vice President Harris earn the most votes in American history in 2020, and we’re thrilled to have their leadership and strategic prowess focused full-time on sending them back to the White House for four more years," said Chavez Rodriguez in a statement.

An aide said the staffing shifts allow the aides, who have been key to managing Biden's political activities and messaging inside the White House, to take on more overtly political roles on the campaign ahead of an expected campaign against Trump. Donilon is among Biden's longest-serving and closest aides and has been central to developing Biden's argument that democracy is at stake as the president expects to face off against Trump once again.

O’Malley Dillon has become a trusted adviser to Biden since she was brought in to help run his general election bid in 2020 and then at the White House overseeing politics and operations.

The campaign said Donilon would focus on advertising and strategy, while O’Malley Dillon would work on organizing and the electoral mechanics.

O’Malley Dillon’s move was first reported by The New York Times.