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Mike Donilon

Mike Donilon
Senior Advisor to the President
In office
January 20, 2021 – January 23, 2024
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byJared Kushner
Stephen Miller
Ivanka Trump
Succeeded byAnita Dunn
Gene Sperling
John Podesta
Annie Tomasini
Personal details
Born (1958-12-25) December 25, 1958 (age 65)
Political partyDemocratic
RelativesTom Donilon (brother)
Cathy Russell (sister-in-law)
EducationGeorgetown University (BA, JD)

Michael C. Donilon[1] (born December 25, 1958)[2][3] is an American attorney and campaign consultant who is a longtime advisor to Joe Biden, the current 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.[4][5] Prior, Donilon was working as a partner at AKPD Message and Media. Between 2009 and 2013,[6] 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.[7] He has been described as Biden's "conscience, alter ego and shared brain" by the Washington Post.[8]

Early life and education

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Donilon is a graduate of La Salle Academy in Providence, Rhode Island.[9] He earned a Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor from Georgetown University.

Career

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Donilon has advised candidates and worked on their campaigns in numerous important races, including Douglas Wilder's historic campaign and election as Governor of Virginia (1989), Harris Wofford's upset victory over Dick Thornburgh to become Senator for the state of Pennsylvania, and Bill Clinton's successful run for the White House in 1992.[citation needed]

Donilon has also worked on campaigns for Governor Jon Corzine (D-New Jersey), Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida), Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut), Representative Dick Gephardt (D-Missouri), Senator Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut), Senator John Edwards (D-North Carolina), Vice President Al Gore (D-Tennessee), Senator John Kerry (D-Massachusetts), and former Senator Mark Dayton (D-Minnesota).[10]

Donilon was a managing member of MCD Strategies, a media consulting firm, for which he received compensation of at least $4 million.[11]

Donilon served as managing director of the Biden Institute at the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration, where he was also an assistant professor.[12]

Biden administration

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As his longtime advisor, Mike Donilon held significant influence over Joe Biden's successful 2020 campaign for president.[13] He helped develop Biden's campaign strategy that had a three-pronged message: "that the election was about the 'soul of the nation'; that the threatened middle class was the 'backbone of the nation'; and that what was most needed was to 'unify the nation.' Only Biden could restore the nation's soul, repair its backbone, and unify it."[13] "This is really about character and values as opposed to issues and ideology," Donilon told the New York Times in his capacity as chief strategist.[14]

In November 2020, Donilon was named Senior Advisor to the President.[15][16] In July 2024 he helped draft the letter that Biden used to announce his withdrawal from the 2024 United States presidential election.[17]

Personal life

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Donilon's brothers are BlackRock Investment Institute chair Tom Donilon, who was chief of staff in former President Bill Clinton's State Department and is a former National security adviser to Barack Obama,[18][19][20] and Terry Donilon, Communications Director for the Archdiocese of Boston.[21] His sister-in-law is Catherine M. Russell.

References

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  1. ^ "The United States Government Manual". usgovernmentmanual.gov. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  2. ^ "Mike Donilon". Biography.com. January 20, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  3. ^ Daniels, Eugene; Lizza, Ryan; Bade, Rachael (December 25, 2023). "Playbook: A Playbook holiday quiz". Politico. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  4. ^ Shear, Michael D. (November 18, 2020). "Mike Donilon, Who Helped Draft Biden's Message, Is Named a Senior Adviser". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Epstein, Reid J. (January 23, 2024). "Two Top Biden Aides Are Taking the Reins of His Re-election Campaign". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "Biden Senior Adviser, Mike Donilon Joins AKPD As Partner". Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  7. ^ "Vice President-elect Biden announces key staff positions for the Vice President's office". Archived from the original on November 26, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  8. ^ Parker, Ashley (May 4, 2021). "Weightlifting, Gatorade, birthday calls: Inside Biden's day". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "Washington Post Does Lengthy Profile on La Salle Alum Tom Donilon '73". LaSalle Academy. December 22, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  10. ^ Jamieson, Kathleen Hall (September 29, 2011). Electing the President, 2004: The Insiders' View. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-0481-0.
  11. ^ Schwartz, Brian (March 20, 2021). "Biden's closest advisors have ties to big business and Wall Street with some making millions". CNBC. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  12. ^ "Bio - Donilon, Michael". Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Lizza, Ryan (December 12, 2019). "Why Biden's Retro Inner Circle Is Succeeding So Far". Politico. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  14. ^ Steinberger, Michael (July 23, 2019). "Joe Biden Wants to Take America Back to a Time Before Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Nichols, Hans (November 17, 2020). "Biden to bring Donilon and Ricchetti into White House". Axios. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  16. ^ "Biden announces slate of White House senior staffers". ABC News. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  17. ^ Subramanian, Courtney (July 22, 2024). "Isolating at a beach house, Biden gave aides one minute notice of exit". BBC News. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  18. ^ "Thomas Donilon". BlackRock. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  19. ^ Profiles. "Catherine Russell: Why She Matters" Archived February 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, "whorunsgov.com".
  20. ^ Vogel, Kenneth P."15 Obama administration power couples", "Politico", June 15, 2009.
  21. ^ "The brothers Donilon: One's boss is President Obama, the other's could be pope". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
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