Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden had an entourage of support from celebrities and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama at a historic campaign fundraiser set to raise more than $25 million Thursday night, as Biden continues to aggressively campaign against former President Donald Trump.
The event at Radio City Music Hall in New York was meant to reinforce Biden’s campaign finances and widen his voter outreach.
Biden already has a commanding lead over Trump in funding, especially as Trump and his groups are figuring out how to cover Trump’s legal costs. But Biden and Democrats aren’t holding back to increase that gap.
By mid March, Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee amassed a combined $155 million cash on hand, while the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee ended February with $44.85 million cash on hand. Since Super Tuesday, the Biden campaign has outspent the Trump team on pre-booked advertising by nearly four times.
“This historic raise is a show of strong enthusiasm for President Biden and Vice President Harris and a testament to the unprecedented fundraising machine we’ve built,” said Biden-Harris 2024 campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Obama and Clinton uniting forces behind Biden could help the incumbent weather the unique political challenges that his predecessors — who both had higher approval ratings than Biden during their reelection campaigns — did not have to face: the aftermath of a worldwide pandemic, the Jan. 6 insurrection, turmoil over abortion access, and a growing protest vote campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
A star-studded cast also appear with the former presidents and Biden, including Mindy Kaling, who hosted, and Stephen Colbert, who moderated a conversation with the three presidents.
It was an opportunity for Biden to counter concerns about his age and polls that show a lack of enthusiasm.
But frustrations against Biden did flare up: Protesters interrupted the event multiple times, most to criticize Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza.
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