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President Joe Biden, June 13, 2024, in Fasano, Italy.
Los Angeles
CNN
—
Joe Biden has raised $28 million for a star-studded fundraiser on Saturday, a campaign official told CNN, as the president turns to friends in Hollywood to help bolster his campaign coffers.
The president’s event in Los Angeles, which was attended by former President Barack Obama, George Clooney and Julia Roberts, was the campaign’s latest effort to use celebrity appeal to help Biden win a second term. The Los Angeles fundraiser set a new record for the Democratic Party, raising more money than an event at Radio City Music Hall in March that Biden campaign officials said brought in the largest amount in the party’s history.
The Biden campaign ran a contest for small donors to attend a fundraiser on Saturday for a chance to meet Biden, Obama, Roberts and Clooney. The four sent emails and text messages encouraging supporters to donate. The campaign also offered grassroots supporters at home the chance to watch the event virtually for a donation of $20 or more.
“When you come up with an event like this, a concept like this, you know it’s going to be big. You know it’s going to be an exciting event. You know it’s going to draw a lot of attention. You know it’s going to raise a lot of money,” said Rufus Giffords, the Biden campaign’s finance chairman. “This event has exceeded all of our expectations.”
The announcement also comes as the campaign seeks to maintain its financial advantage over former President Donald Trump, who has enjoyed a major fundraising success since winning the Republican presidential nomination. The Trump campaign announced a huge increase in donations, raising $53 million in the 24 hours after Trump was convicted in a hush-money criminal trial.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel will host a conversation between Biden and Obama on Saturday at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Campaign officials said other celebrities, including Jason Bateman, Jack Black, Kathryn Hahn and Sheryl Lee Ralph, will also be joining the show that night.
Tickets to the Tinseltown event range from $250 to $500,000, with those who buy the highest priced tickets receiving special access, according to the invitations reviewed by CNN. Donors who donate $500,000 will be placed in the event chair category, which includes four front-row tickets, a photo with Biden and Obama, attendance at an exclusive reception with both presidents, and tickets to the afterparty.
The event is modeled after a high-profile fundraiser in New York City that raised more than $26 million and featured Biden, Obama and former President Bill Clinton. Biden is scheduled to appear at a fundraiser in Virginia on Tuesday with Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
In addition to raising big money, the Biden campaign is hoping Saturday’s event will be a show of entertainment industry power.
“This Saturday, we will see an unprecedented, record-breaking turnout from the media and entertainment world,” Biden campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg, who played a major role in Saturday’s fundraising, said in a statement. “The enthusiasm and commitment to Biden/Harris couldn’t be stronger. We all understand this is the most important election of our lifetimes.”
Biden’s advisers are already working to tap A-list stars to help spread the campaign’s message, including Robert De Niro, who narrates campaign ads and is a longtime critic of Trump who spoke at a news conference on the sidelines of the former president’s criminal trial in New York City last month.
On Friday, Jane Fonda joined first lady Jill Biden at an event aimed at mobilizing older voters in Reno, Nev. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour hosted a fundraiser for the Biden campaign in London this week and helped organize fundraisers for three previous presidents in New York City in March.
Biden’s advisers are hoping to drum up more supporters and find ways for celebrities to engage with voters as Election Day approaches, but many in Hollywood are wary of jumping into the political fray in a deeply divided political landscape, sources previously told CNN.
The Gaza conflict is one of Hollywood’s dividing issues, and the war was a major theme at Biden’s glitzy fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall in March, when protesters gathered inside and outside the venue.
The Los Angeles fundraiser came as Biden seeks to boost his campaign finances amid signs that Trump is closing the gap. Biden has led Trump in fundraising for much of the year, but the former president has seen a big influx of money since winning the Republican nomination in March. Trump surpassed Biden for the first time in April.
The Trump campaign and its affiliated committees said they raised $141 million in May, including $53 million raised within 24 hours of Trump’s historic criminal conviction in a hush-money case. The Trump campaign has not yet released its cash reserves for this month.
Biden has not disclosed fundraising figures for May, but his campaign and related committees had $192 million in cash on hand last month.
This story has been updated with additional information.
