President Joe Biden will host a high-dollar fundraiser in New York City with his two Democratic presidential predecessors in the hope of reigniting enthusiasm for his 2024 rematch with former President Donald Trump.
Actress Mindy Kaling will host the event Thursday evening at Radio City Music Hall, and the program will feature a discussion moderated by Stephen Colbert with Biden and former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. The event will also feature performances by Lizzo, Queen Latifah, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, and Lea Michele.
Despite his generally flagging approval ratings, Biden has maintained a significant cash advantage over Trump. Thursday’s fundraiser is expected to haul in the single largest total for Biden this cycle. The president ended February with more than $150 million cash on hand, roughly $100 million more than Trump, whose fundraising is being used to offset the mounting legal fees and penalties stemming from dozens of federal indictments.
Tickets for Thursday night started at $250, but upgraded status, complete with a photograph alongside Biden, Obama, and Clinton, cost attendees up to $100,000. Attendees could also purchase tickets to high-profile receptions and after-parties for up to $500,000. Chris Korge, the finance chairman for the Biden Victory Fund, told NBC he expects Thursday’s fundraiser to draw upwards of 3,000 attendees and could bring in more than $10 million.
Doubts about Biden’s age, coupled with growing dissatisfaction regarding his approach to the conflict in Gaza, have led to the president bleeding support from young, black, and Latino voters. However, Democrats remain optimistic that appearing onstage next to his predecessors will help the president shore up his winning 2020 coalition win ahead of the November election.
“There is everything to be gained by Joe Biden standing next to Bill Clinton and Barack Obama,” Leon Panetta, a veteran of both the Obama and Clinton administrations, explained. “That picture is worth a hell of a lot in politics today.”
Thursday’s event will, by comparison, shine a light on Trump’s fractured relationship with the establishment Republican Party, and Biden campaign officials told the Washington Examiner they expect Democratic unity to be a major theme of this coming fundraiser.
“President Obama and President Clinton strongly support President Biden’s leadership and, obviously, his agenda. All three have agreed overwhelmingly on the issues that this president has been fighting for for the past three years, including an economy that works for all and leaves no one behind. That is an economy that’s built from the bottom up, middle out, and making sure that we protect our critical freedoms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday ahead of Biden’s trip to New York.
She continued, “These are presidents, two former presidents and the current president, that believe in what we’re trying to do in the Biden-Harris administration, trying to move this country forward. Trying to make sure we’re protecting our democracy, protecting our freedom, and building an economy that leaves no one behind, and I think that’s the most important here.”
Though their paths likely won’t cross, Trump will also be out and about in New York City on Thursday. He’s expected to attend the wake of a New York City police officer who was shot and killed during a recent traffic stop in the city.
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Jean-Pierre declined to say if Biden plans to address the death of the NYC officer but stated that “our hearts go out to this officer who tragically lost his life in the line of duty.”
“President Biden is deeply grateful for the sacrifices police officers make to keep our communities safe. This shooting is yet another painful reminder of the toll of gun violence, what it’s doing to inflict on families in our communities in our nation,” she stated. “That’s why the president signed more than two dozen executive actions. That’s why we’re able to pass a bipartisan agreement to deal with the gun violence that we’re seeing in this country. Obviously, more work needs to be done. We need Congress to continue to act on making sure that our communities are safe, and, again, our hearts go out to to this officer and his family. It’s a difficult time for them.”
