Bidenomics Chicago takeaways: Biden ‘loves’ the slogan, says Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a campaign co-chair

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, in Chicago on Wednesday, is doing more than embracing the phrase Bidenomics — “he relishes, he loves the term,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., one of the seven national co-chairs of his reelection campaign, told the Sun-Times.

That word — hurled by Republicans as an insult — has been rebranded by the Biden team as a slogan to tout his economic achievements, and though Biden seems at times — as recently as Wednesday morning — ambivalent about it, Duckworth set the record straight.

Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times

Here are takeaways from Biden’s speech touting Bidenomics — his administration’s economic achievements — and his fundraising in the city, a combo official government and political trip:

Jeffrey Katzenberg, Hollywood mogul advising Biden, attended Chicago fundraisers

Among those at the Biden fundraisers at the J.W. Marriott in the Loop: Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Hollywood mogul who was a co-founder of the DreamWorks studio and now the founding partner of WndrCo, a venture capital firm.

Katzenberg is one of the seven national Biden-Harris reelection co-chairs, tapped by Biden, with whom he’s been close for years. What makes this interesting is that Katzenberg is the only nonelected official who is a campaign co-chair.

He came to Chicago on his way home to Los Angeles from Israel. I was told Katzenberg’s stop in the city was part of getting settled into his new role of being officially a part of the campaign. That’s very different from his previous experience as a Democratic megadonor and fundraiser.

Duckworth has been working with Katzenberg on the campaign.

She told me that what Katzenberg brings to the table is “just a real focus on what is the message to connect with the American people across the country. We, the electeds … I don’t think we do as good a job of messaging out to the American people,” about how Biden’s work to revive the COVID-battered economy “makes a big difference in their lives, and I think that’s a strong suit for Jeff.”

Duckworth pushing White House to finally name 2024 Chicago convention CEO

Duckworth, one of the leaders of the drive to land the 2024 Democratic convention in Chicago, said it’s about time for the Biden White House to name a convention CEO. One person they had in mind was tapped for another campaign job.

“I did give Anita Dunn a call recently,” Duckworth said about one of Biden’s top advisers, who will have a big say in naming the convention chief, “and said, ‘Hey, you know, we need a CEO.”’

Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times

Biden’s Chicago connections

Connection 1: At the fundraiser hosted by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife, MK, Biden paid tribute to James Crown, chairman and chief executive of the family business Henry Crown & Co. — and a civic leader — who died Sunday in a car crash in Aspen, Colorado.

Crown “represented America’s best. And he was industrious, big-hearted. And his commitment to this city was bone deep. It was bone deep,” Biden said.

Connection 2: At the Bidenomics speech at the Old Post Office, a historic redevelopment at 433 W. Van Buren, Biden was introduced by Bob Clark, the owner of Clayco, a construction company. Clark is close to Biden and former President Barack Obama, raising funds for both of their campaigns.

In October 2021, Biden stopped at a Clayco project in Elk Grove Village to promote COVID vaccinations and testing.

Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times

Biden says he’s not special

Biden is on a fundraising sprint with the second-quarter deadline on Friday.

At a Tuesday night fundraiser in Chevy Chase, Maryland, Biden said something that drew some attention when I posted the quote on my Twitter feed, so I’ll also share it here. Said Biden, “I’ve spent a great deal of my time, in a bizarre way, trying to put the world back together again — not because I’m so special, but I just happen to be president.”

Chicago deep dish pizza on Air Force One

Reporters on Air Force One heading back to Washington had Chicago deep dish pizza for dinner. Sorry, the pool report did not say from where.

Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images