PERSON: Mike Donilon

Resident Fellow

Michael C. Donilon (born December 25, 1958) is an American attorney and campaign consultant who is a longtime advisor to Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States. He was the chief strategist of Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign and served in the same capacity in the 2024 presidential campaign before Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, 2024. He was a senior advisor to Biden during the first three years of his presidency. Prior, Donilon was working as a partner at AKPD Message and Media. Between 2009 and 2013, he served as Counselor to Vice President Biden in the Obama Administration. Before his White House appointment, Donilon worked with the vice-presidential candidate to help him prepare for the debates and as a traveling advisor.

Donilon has been an advisor and consultant to Biden since 1981. He has been described as Biden’s “conscience, alter ego and shared brain” by the Washington Post. In the aftermath of the 2024 election, Donilon was criticized for shielding Biden from accurate information about his campaign prospects.

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