President Joe Biden hosted a star-studded fundraiser in New York City alongside former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton on Thursday evening. Biden’s team reports that they raised a record-breaking $26 million. Comedian Mindy Kaling hosted the event at Radio City Music Hall; Lizzo performed her hit song “About Damn Time,” and other performances by Queen Latifah, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Platt, and Lea Michele took place.
Senate Majority Leader and New York Senator Chuck Schumer told the audience that they must do everything in their power to ensure the “dishonest, chaotic, ineffective regime of Donald Trump” did not return.
When Biden, Obama, and Clinton took the stage, the crowd erupted into applause and the three presidents received a standing ovation. The chant “Four more years!” could be heard echoing throughout the crowd. “Three presidents… and none of them are here [in New York] to go to court,” joked comedian Stephen Colbert, alluding to Trump’s current legal battles.
Biden repeated his often-spoken statement that “democracy is at stake,” and said that Trump has a “perverse view of the world.” He added, “But I’m really hopeful; if we get by this election, we can set the course for the next four, five, six decades.”
Obama praised Biden’s legislative victories, praising Biden for everything from reducing the cost of medicine to creating jobs for the American people. He added that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, and his supporters seemed “increasingly unconcerned with the essence of America”, which he said was centered on the idea of “bridging our differences and moving forward.”
Clinton accused Trump of “stealing a few good years” from the back end of Obama’s presidency and somehow claiming “overnight” successes.
Trump wrote on his platform, Truth Social, “Hundreds of deranged Hollywood liberals will be in attendance, and they will open their wallets to fund the destruction of this country!” Biden has a cash advantage over Trump, who is scrambling to juggle his court appearance rather than campaigning.
However, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the iconic Music Hall, heckling Biden for his handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many waved Palestinian flags and chanted “Free, free Palestine!” Others yelled “Genocide Joe has got to go!” and “F*** Joe Biden!”
