President Joe Biden left the G7 summit for George Clooney in less than 24 hours. Biden left Italy late on Friday night and arrived in Los Angeles early Saturday morning ahead of an evening fundraiser with a star-studded lineup that included former President Barack Obama, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, Clooney and actress Julia Roberts.
The Biden-Harris campaign said it had raised $28 million by Saturday night’s event, a record for a single Democratic fundraiser and surpassing the $26 million the Biden campaign raised in New York City in March with Biden, Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
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Saturday’s star-studded event featured interviews with Biden and Obama that touched on health care, abortion and the Supreme Court, hosted by Kimmel, who has been a public supporter of the Obama-era Affordable Care Act since his newborn son underwent open-heart surgery in 2017. But at the heart of the show was the contrast between Biden and his Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.
“I could have done better than him without doing anything,” Biden said at the start of the debate.
Biden said he would likely appoint two Supreme Court justices regardless of who wins the November election, noting that there could be vacancies over the next four years.
“The Supreme Court has never been more out of balance, more disunited,” Biden said of the court’s current 6-3 conservative majority.
Clooney and Roberts kicked off the pre-event program on Saturday, with musician Barbra Streisand, actors Jason Bateman, Jack Black, Kathryn Hahn and Sheryl Lee Ralph providing entertainment before Biden debated Obama and Kimmel.
Other notables include Keegan-Michael Key, Connie Britton, Misha Collins, Jeri Ryan, Jonathan Del Arco, Mandana Dayani, Blake Cooper Griffin and Adam Metto. They were also on the guest list for the fundraiser, according to the Biden campaign.
Tickets for Saturday’s event ranged in price from $250 to $500,000, but grassroots donors could donate $20 to watch the fundraiser virtually.
Hollywood actors have been making campaign appearances in support of Biden in recent weeks. Robert De Niro attended a campaign press conference in May outside the lower Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial was being held. Ralph from “Abbott Elementary” campaigned with Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania, and Jane Fonda appeared with first lady Jill Biden at a campaign event in Reno, Nevada, on Friday.
The money comes at a time of fierce competition between Biden, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and Trump. CBS News Poll In a June poll, Biden had a 1-point lead in the battleground states, effectively tying the numbers. The Biden campaign said the funds raised on Saturday would be used to expand grassroots activities (field offices, staff) and paid media.
“This Saturday, we will see an unprecedented record-breaking turnout from the media and entertainment world. The enthusiasm and commitment to Biden/Harris couldn’t be stronger. We all understand this is the most important election of our lifetimes,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, co-chair of the Biden-Harris campaign and film producer.
Biden has held a significant cash advantage for much of the election cycle, but Trump has also seen his own fundraising numbers rise. Raised $52.8 million This came 24 hours after he was convicted of 34 felony counts in a “hush money” trial.
The Trump team A record-breaking $50.5 million At a fundraiser in Florida in April.
Clooney’s involvement in the fundraiser has generated some intrigue after The Washington Post reported in June that he had called a White House adviser to express frustration over Biden’s criticism of the International Criminal Court (ICC), where Clooney’s wife, Amal, works. Applying for an arrest warrant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
A few days later, the Biden campaign sent out a fundraising text message from Clooney.
“It is no exaggeration to say that this election is the fight of our lives,” Clooney’s message read. “It is a choice between those who want to take America back to its past and those who want to move it forward into the future.”
