Joe Biden To Return To Los Angeles For Star-Filled Fundraiser Amid Democrats’ Amped Up Anxieties And Calls To Action
14.06.2024 - 21:17
/ deadline.com
President Joe Biden‘s return to Los Angeles on Saturday for a star-filled fundraiser may be as much to rally Hollywood donors and supporters as it is to make a big money show before quarter’s end.
Biden will appear with his predecessor, Barack Obama, in a conversation with Jimmy Kimmel, along with a lineup that includes George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Also on the bill are Jason Bateman, Jack Black, Kathryn Hahn and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Tickets are going for $250 to $250,000, but the campaign has been blasting out an ongoing stream of fundraising texts signed by the boldfaced names involved to enter a contest to win a trip to the event. The contest, a means to drive up small-dollar donations, was popularized in 2012, when Clooney hosted Obama at his home for a reelection fundraiser.
Trump “is protected by far-right mouthpieces and billionaire mega-donors who’d gladly eat crab cakes while the world burns if it means they will pay less in taxes,” Kimmel said in his pitch, suggesting a donation of $40.
The event is similar in approach to a March fundraiser in New York, featuring Biden, Obama and former President Bill Clinton in a conversation moderated by Stephen Colbert, along with other celebrities. That event raised $26 million, setting a high bar for this event.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, who is campaign co-chair, said in a statement that at the L.A. event “we are going to see an unprecedented and record setting turn out from the media and entertainment world. The enthusiasm and commitment for Biden/Harris couldn’t be stronger. We all understand this is the most important election of our lifetime.”
As of Thursday evening, there were just a few dozen seats left in the 7,100-seat Peacock Theater, according to a ticket map of