Biden’s Hollywood fundraiser: Obama takes aim at Trump’s guilty verdict; here’s who attended the starry $30M LA event
The likes of Hollywood sensations George Clooney and Julia Roberts shared the pedestal with White House residents on Saturday night for President Biden’s record-breaking reelection fundraiser. A-list headliners of the glitzy guest roster brought their star power to Los Angeles’ Peacock Theatre as the sitting president’s campaign netted over $30 million at the one-night-only gala, according to CNN.
TOPSHOT – US President Joe Biden (L) stands with former US President Barack Obama onstage during a campaign fundraiser at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 15, 2024. (AFP)
Within a day of being supposedly caught in controversial headlines targeting his cognitive health, Biden went all golden in the midst of a star-studded crowd with former president Barack Obama by his side.
The 7,100-seat glossy venue in Los Angeles saw Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel interview Biden and Obama, who also joined forces in tearing former president and the presumptive Republican nominee, Trump, a new one. As the Biden-Harris campaign announced on Sunday morning, the event scored a historic $30 million, which not only eclipsed the May $26M cash haul but also scored a record-high tally for a Democratic fundraiser.
Nevertheless, he was still trumped by his front-running presidential campaign rival, whose fundraisers have witnessed consequential growth despite his felony convictions. The former president’s campaign claimed that they raised %52.8 million in 24 hours following his guilty verdict for the 34 felony counts from the New York hush money trial. On top of that, the Trump campaign also said they hit a record-breaking cash haul of $50.5 million at the Florida fundraiser in April.
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Former President Barack Obama and Joe Biden take aim at Donald Trump
Biden kicked off the conversation with his opening hit, “I could have done nothing and done better than him.”
Eventually, Obama charged at Trump’s freshly stamped criminal record, “Look, part of what has happened in the last several years is we’ve normalized behaviour that used to be disqualified.”
He continued, “The other spectacle of the nominee of one of the two major parties is sitting in court and being convicted by a jury of his peers on 34 counts. You have his foundation, it’s not allowed to operate because it was engaging in monkey business and not actually philanthropic. You had this organization being prosecuted for not paying taxes. … There was a time when we had certain core values that we agreed with. We believed in basic honesty. We believed in paying your taxes. We believed in making sure that we didn’t make fun of [prisoners of war], that we did not try to politicize our military, that we respected the ballot.”
Expressing presidency as a “relay race,” Obama praised Biden’s work: “I take great pride in what the Biden administration has accomplished… It’s a reminder that we don’t have to just vote against something in this election. We have so many things to worry about and there’s a whole agenda that we should be concerned about, but we can take pride in affirming the extraordinary work that Joe has done.”
Kimmel had many punches to throw at Trump, too, as he even identified him as “Orange Julius Caesar” and “President Danye West.”
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As the flow of fiery comebacks caught up with Biden, he continued his onslaught on Trump’s name. “Look, he’s the only president other than Herbert Hoover who lost more jobs than he started off with. He has increased the national debt by a trillion dollars. He provided $2 trillion tax cut for [the super wealthy], which did nothing but increase the debt and impact ordinary people, their ability to function and grow,” said the sitting president.
Although jokes flew high at the event, Biden also addressed the warnings about a potential second Trump term, which could change the way the country looks at a slew of topics, including gay rights, contraception, Roe v Wade and more.
An even more solemn picture unfolded at the event, as it did at the May fundraiser. Pro-Palestinian protestors circled the LA fundraiser, wearing shirts with messages like “Not in Our Name” and “Cease Fire Now.” Other signs held up by the demonstrators sent out messages that read “Stop Killing Palestinians” amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Reported guest list for Biden’s reelection campaign fundraiser
Thousands of people purchased the fundraiser’s tickets, which reportedly started from $250 and went as high as $500,000. While the former earned a participant at a great distance from the stage, the latter included a package of prime seats, photos with Biden and Obama and a ticket to a VIP afterparty.
Some of the prominent figures present at the Hollywood-studded event were:
George ClooneyJulia RobertsJimmy KimmelBarbra StreisandJason BatemanJack BlackSheryl Lee RalphKathryn HahnKeegan-Michael KeyMisha CollinsConnie BrittonMandana DayaniJeri RyanBlake Cooper GriffinAdam MetJonathan Del ArcoSista StringsThe SilhouettesBryan LourdRichard LovettGovernor Gavin NewsomLos Angeles Mayor Karen BassThe Biden Family, including First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Hunter Biden, Ashley Biden, grandchildren Naomi and Maisy Biden and others.
