President Joe Biden's campaign plans to host a major fundraiser in Los Angeles next month. The event will feature former President Barack Obama, as well as Hollywood superstars George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
According to a campaign official, reported by NBC News, the high-profile Biden event is scheduled for mid-June. It will include a contest featuring Clooney and Roberts, conducted across the campaign's social media platforms, aimed at engaging grassroots donors, as well as top celebrities and surrogates. The two Academy Award winners will also lend their names for campaign emails and text messages. This strategy is aimed at attracting more contributions to the campaign.
The campaign intends to promote the Los Angeles fundraiser similarly to the glamorous evening Biden hosted with Obama and former President Bill Clinton in New York City in late March. That event raised $26 million. Biden campaign aides stated that the amount raised at the event set a Democratic fundraising record for a single event.
The star-studded lineup is anticipated to enhance Biden's fundraising endeavors, particularly as Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee endeavor to narrow the funding disparity. Trump's recent securing of the nomination has enabled him to utilize all available GOP resources in this effort.
During President Biden's recent West Coast trip, the campaign reportedly raised $10 million in 24 hours, according to a source reported by CNN. Biden attended four fundraisers, two in the Bay Area and two in the Seattle area. Figures for last month's fundraising efforts are set to be released in the coming week.
When donations to the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee were considered, the Democratic advantage amounted to $131 million compared to $67 million for the Republicans.
Following Biden's Radio City Music Hall fundraiser, Trump opted to match it with his own high-dollar fundraiser held at the Palm Beach home of billionaire investor John Paulson. Although lacking the star power of the former presidents, the Trump campaign claimed to have essentially doubled the earnings of the Biden campaign. It reportedly brought in $50.5 million to the campaign's coffers.
More recently, Trump faced criticism for allegedly telling a group of oil and gas executives that he would repeal Biden's environmental regulations, indicating they should raise a billion dollars for his campaign in return.
In 2023, the Trump campaign saw a 62.5% decrease in cash raised from small-dollar donations compared to 2019, the year prior to a presidential election.
Meanwhile, the president is also set to hold a fundraiser on the East Coast in early summer, alongside Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
