Quiet and low profile, Mike Donilon is Bidenâs White House âwise manâ By Jess Bidgood and Dan McGowan Globe Staff,Updated March 5, 2021, 9:50 a.m. Email to a Friend Mike Donilon listened to Joe Biden speak in Wilmington, Del., on Nov. 6.ERIN SCHAFF/NYT/file WASHINGTON â Last year, as the pandemic hemmed Joe Bidenâs campaign appearances inside the boundaries of his Delaware home base, anxiety-ridden Democrats groused he wasnât doing enough to seize control of the presidential race. With adverse headlines piling up, the presidential candidate asked his friend and chief campaign strategist what his team was doing about it.