President Joe Biden’s campaign expects to collect more than $28 million at a Los Angeles fundraiser packed with celebrities Saturday night in a Hollywood show of force.
Biden left a meeting of world leaders in Italy on Friday, skipping the final dinner to fly to Los Angeles for the fundraiser, which will feature former President Barack Obama, actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Air Force One touched down in Washington only long enough to refuel for the continuing flight and landed in Los Angeles on Saturday morning.
The travel across 10 time zones illustrated the competing presidential and political demands on Biden’s time as the campaign against former President Donald Trump accelerates. Aides said the taxing schedule made clear that even at age 81, he still demonstrates the endurance to manage his many duties.
The $28 million haul anticipated from Saturday’s event was set to break a party record, overtaking the $26 million Democrats brought in from a fundraiser in March in New York featuring Biden along with Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
While Biden and the Democrats have outpaced Trump’s team in donations for much of the campaign, Republicans pulled in $50.5 million at an event in Palm Beach, Florida, in April, and said they raised a total of $141 million in May, matching what Biden and Democrats raised in March and April combined.
Tickets for the Democratic event at the Peacock Theater run from $250 for grassroots supporters to $500,000 for a four-seat package. The film and television industry has long been a financial bulwark for the Democrats, but organizers hoped to use Saturday’s fundraiser to bolster Biden’s coffers and demonstrate his strong support among some of the nation’s most recognized figures.
“This Saturday we are going to see an unprecedented and record-setting turn out from the media and entertainment world,” Jeffrey Katzenberg, a longtime Hollywood mogul now serving as co-chair of the Biden campaign, said in a statement. “The enthusiasm and commitment for Biden-Harris couldn’t be stronger. We all understand this is the most important election of our lifetime.”
Clooney and Roberts are among the biggest draws. But questions around Clooney’s support arose after a Washington Post report this month that the actor had contacted a senior White House official to lodge a complaint related to the war in the Gaza Strip.
Clooney’s complaint focused on the president’s criticism last month of the International Criminal Court’s decision to seek a warrant against top Israeli officials over the war. Amal Clooney, a human rights lawyer and the actor’s wife, worked on the case. In the days since the dispute became public, George Clooney has issued multiple fundraising appeals through the Biden campaign, an apparent effort to show that his support for the president remains strong.
Kimmel will interview Biden and Obama during the event, focusing particularly on health care. After his newborn son required open-heart surgery in 2017, Kimmel became outspoken about the importance of the Affordable Care Act passed when Obama was president and Biden was vice president.
Other celebrities expected Saturday night include Jason Bateman, Jack Black, Kathryn Hahn and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
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