President Joe Biden’s fundraiser featured appearances from Hollywood stars and raised more than $30 million, a record for a Democratic candidate, in a move his campaign said was aimed at galvanizing supporters for what could be one of the most crucial election races in U.S. history.
George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand were among those taking to the stage at the 7,100-seat Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday night, as late-night host Jimmy Kimmel interviewed Biden and former President Barack Obama, with both stressing the need to defeat former President Donald Trump in what is expected to be a very close election race.
During the debate, which lasted more than 30 minutes, Kimmel asked Biden, the Republican front-runner, whether the public was suffering from amnesia, to which Biden replied, “You just have to remember what it was like when Trump was in the White House.”
Big names from the entertainment world have come forward to support Biden’s campaign, and how important the event was to his re-election was illustrated by Biden’s decision to fly overnight, across nine time zones, from the G7 summit in southern Italy to Southern California to take part.
Biden also did not attend a summit in Switzerland to discuss how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, instead sending Vice President Kamala Harris on a whirlwind visit to represent the US in the country – a reminder of the delicate balance between geopolitics and Biden’s bid for reelection.
Adding to the political overtones, police in riot gear were present outside the theater, as a group of protesters angered by the Biden administration’s handling of Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip demonstrated nearby.
At the fundraiser, Jack Black and Sheryl Lee Ralph sang, actors Kathryn Hahn and Jason Bateman introduced Kimmel, and Kimmel himself introduced Biden and Obama. “I was told I was going to be introduced by Batman, not Bateman,” the comedian said with a straight face.
But he quickly moved on to more serious topics, saying “so much is at stake in this election,” citing women’s rights, health care issues and, in a reference to the Biden administration’s calls to expand voting rights, noting that “even the ballot counts.”
Kimmel asked the president what accomplishment he was most proud of, and Biden responded that he thought his administration’s approach to the economy was “going well.”
“We have the strongest economy in the world right now,” Biden said, adding that he is “trying to give ordinary people a level chance.”
Campaigning in Detroit on Saturday, Trump criticized Biden’s handling of the economy and inflation, with Trump campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt saying the president was fundraising with “naive Hollywood elites.”
But Biden told the California audience, “we passed every major piece of legislation we wanted to pass,” and Obama praised sweeping bills overseen by the former vice president’s administration on health care, public works, the environment, tech manufacturing and gun safety.
“What we’re seeing right now is a byproduct of 2016, where a lot of people, for one reason or another, didn’t vote,” said Obama, who, like Biden, was wearing a black suit and an open-collared white shirt.
“Hopefully we’ve learned our lesson, because this election has very specific implications,” Obama added of the Supreme Court.
Trump appointed three justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion. Audience members expressed discomfort at the mention of Roe, to which Obama responded, “Don’t boo, vote,” a play on his usual refrain of voting over booing.
Biden said whoever is elected president in November could have the opportunity to nominate two new justices, but he is unlikely to significantly overhaul the Supreme Court in a second term, given its current 6-3 conservative majority.
He also suggested that “one of the scariest parts” of Trump’s recapture of the White House would be the Supreme Court, which he said has “never been more outdated.”
Biden also addressed reports that an upside-down flag, a symbol associated with Trump’s false claims of election fraud, was flown outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in January 2021. He expressed concern Saturday that if Trump is re-elected, “he’s going to appoint two more people who will fly the flag upside down.”
Kimmel dished out his signature humor throughout the night, at one point asking how the president could get back at the talk show hosts who make fun of him on television every night.
“Ever heard of Delta Force?” Biden responded, referring to the Army’s special operations forces.
At the start of the show, Kimmel noted Biden’s campaign promise to “restore the soul of America” and said Biden “maybe needs an exorcism these days,” before asking Biden if that’s why he visited the Pope. Biden and Pope Francis met in Italy on Friday.
The amount raised surpassed the then-record $26 million raised at a fundraiser for Biden in March at Radio City Music Hall in New York, where late-night host Stephen Colbert interviewed Biden, Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
Biden initially held a lead over Trump in the campaign finance battle, but has been gaining momentum since formally winning the Republican nomination.
Trump raised $50.5 million at a major donor rally in April at billionaire investor John Paulson’s Florida mansion, outdoing Biden’s New York rally. The former president’s campaign and the Republican National Committee announced they had raised a massive $141 million in May, inflated by tens of millions of dollars in donations that flowed in after Trump’s conviction in the hush-money criminal trial.
The post-conviction fundraising surge came after Trump and Republicans announced they raised $76 million in April, far outpacing Biden and Democrats’ $51 million in the same month.
