Trump aides cite top threats at White House briefing: Harris, Biden, Warren
President Donald Trump, his top political advisers and congressional leaders gathered for an extensive political briefing at the White House on Thursday — and one topic of discussion centered on which Democratic candidates pose the biggest threat to his reelection.
Toward the end of the meeting, Trump, who was joined in the Blue Room by Vice President Mike Pence, went around the room and asked for opinions on the Democratic contenders. Campaign manager Brad Parscale noted that Elizabeth Warren was rising, Republican National committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Kamala Harris could pose a threat in Michigan, and Trump 2020 adviser Bill Stepien highlighted Joe Biden as a potentially formidable threat.
Trump listened but did not weigh in, according to one person who attended the meeting.
The briefing drew a range of top congressional officials, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Todd Young and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer also attended.
Parscale and McDaniel led the 70-minute meeting. Officials provided an update on a range of issues, including fundraising, field operations and the campaign's sprawling data and digital effort. State party operations were also discussed.
The meeting also included discussion of the recent launch of WinRed, the GOP small-donor platform billed as the answer to the Democratic fundraising behemoth ActBlue. Gerrit Lansing, WinRed’s president, delivered an update on the platform.
