'Ludicrous': Donors leave call with Kamala Harris frustrated and annoyed

A call Friday featuring Vice President Kamala Harris and about 300 major Democratic donors left many who dialed in frustrated, with one donor declaring it "ludicrous" shortly before it ended, according to two sources familiar with the call.

One person on the call referred to it as "mismanaged" and "rushed." They added expectations had not been managed well and some participants left feeling admonished. 

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