President Biden's campaign expects to raise more than $28 million at a glitzy, celebrity-studded fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday night, in a show of Hollywood power.
Biden will fly to Los Angeles on Friday from a world summit in Italy for a dinner with former President Barack Obama, actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. Air Force One is expected to land in Washington only long enough to refuel before continuing the flight.
The trip across 10 time zones underscored the competing presidential and political demands on Mr. Biden's time as his campaign against former President Donald J. Trump accelerated. Aides said the grueling schedule revealed that at 81, Mr. Biden still has the patience to juggle many tasks.
The $28 million expected to be raised from Saturday's event is on track to set a new party record, surpassing the $26 million Democrats raised at a New York fundraiser in March that featured Biden, Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
While Biden and the Democrats outraised Trump's team in donations for much of the campaign, the Republicans raised $50.5 million at an event in Palm Beach, Florida, in April and announced they had raised a total of $141 million in May, matching what Biden and the Democrats raised in March and April combined.
Tickets for the Democratic event at the Peacock Theatre range from $250 for grassroots supporters to $500,000 for a four-seat package.The film and television industry has long been a financial backbone of the Democratic Party, and organizers hoped to use Saturday's fundraiser to shore up Biden's coffers and demonstrate strong support for him among some of the country's most prominent figures.
“This Saturday, we will see an unprecedented, record-breaking turnout from the media and entertainment world,” longtime Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, who now serves as co-chairman of the Biden campaign, 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.”
Mr Clooney and Ms Roberts are among the most high-profile names, but questions about Mr Clooney's support were raised after The Washington Post reported this month that he had contacted White House officials to complain about the Gaza war.
Clooney's lawsuit focuses on the president's criticism of the International Criminal Court's decision last month to seek arrest warrants for Israeli officials over the war. Human rights lawyer and Clooney's wife, Amal Clooney, handled the case. In the days since the controversy became public, Clooney has made multiple fundraising appeals through the Biden campaign in an apparent effort to show his support for the president remains strong.
Kimmel will interview Biden and Obama during the event, with a particular focus on health care issues. After his newborn son required open-heart surgery in 2017, Kimmel became outspoken about the importance of the Affordable Care Act, which was passed when Obama was president and Biden was vice president.
Other celebrities expected to perform Saturday night include Jason Bateman, Jack Black, Kathryn Hahn and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
