Biden taps Obama, Clinton for star-studded NYC fundraiser

President Biden’s campaign is looking to raise big money in the Big Apple on Thursday, pulling out all the stops for a major fundraiser that will reunite him with former President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton, as well as a bevy of celebrities.

The star-studded night comes as the Biden campaign looks to bring in a massive haul before the close of the quarter to further cement his lead over former President Trump in the cash race. It also serves as a preview of the kinds of names Biden will rely on to help generate enthusiasm among Democratic voters in November’s election.

The event is expected to draw more than 5,000 supporters and raise more than $25 million, the campaign said.

“Democrats are unified and energized behind President Biden's reelection campaign - and that will be on full display this Thursday in New York City,” Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement. 

“Donald Trump has no juice heading into the general: huge chunks of Republican primary voters have made clear they have no interest in voting for him this November, Republican leaders like his own vice president are openly opposing him, and even if Trump wanted to reach them (he does not!), he has no cash or energy to do so,” Munoz continued. “Elections are won by putting in the work to assemble a broad, diverse coalition -- and Joe Biden is doing just that.”

Thursday’s fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall will mark the rare instance where Biden, Obama and Clinton are together in the same room. 

It will also underscore the difference between the support among prominent Democrats for Biden and the reluctance among former GOP presidential and vice presidential nominees like former President George W. Bush, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and former Vice President Dick Cheney to support Trump.

The event was spearheaded by Biden campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg, finance chair Rufus Gifford, Biden Victory Fund finance chair Chris Korge and Anna Wintour, a campaign official said.

Among the prominent guests expected to attend are Mindy Kaling, Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele. Late night host Stephen Colbert will moderate a conversation with Biden, Obama and Clinton.

Certain guests will have a chance for a photo with the three presidents taken by Annie Lebowitz, and Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez will moderate a virtual conversation with the three leaders.

“We understand the importance of the three of them being together. This is going to be an important event,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “These are presidents…that believe in what we’re trying to do.”

Thursday night’s event, paired with strong fundraising numbers after Biden’s State of the Union, could lead to an eye-popping sum raised by the campaign during the first quarter of the year. It would allow the Biden campaign to invest heavily in advertising and on-the-ground resources in battleground states at a time when the Trump campaign has lagged behind.

Election filings showed Trump’s campaign entered March with about $42 million in cash on hand, compared to the Biden campaign’s $155 million in cash on hand entering March.

Trump’s campaign on Wednesday sought to fundraise itself off of the Biden fundraiser, emailing supporters about the event featuring Biden, Obama, Clinton and “Trump-Hating talk show host Stephen Colbert.”

“I want Obama to be CRYING - but that won’t happen unless EVERYONE chips in!!!” the fundraising plea read.

Polling published in recent days has also shown Biden chipping away at Trump’s lead, particularly in the key battleground states that are likely to decide the election.

A Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll published Tuesday showed Biden pulling ahead of Trump by 1 percentage point in Wisconsin, with the two candidates tied in Michigan and Pennsylvania. The same poll found Trump ahead in Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina, though Biden had winnowed the margin.

A Quinnipiac University survey published Wednesday found Biden polling at 48 percent and Trump at 45 percent in a head-to-head matchup between the major party presumptive nominees. Those figures reflect a small change from February, when the same poll had Biden ahead of Trump 49-45.

Strategists on both sides of the aisle have been adamant that November’s race will be closely contested regardless of what polls show with more than seven months until Election Day. But Democrats believe Biden has put himself in a strong position through his impressive fundraising and his frequent public appearances in recent weeks.

“There is no doubt that Biden had a strong State of the Union, and more than anything, it underscored to voters that he has the energy and acuity to run an aggressive campaign,” said Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at left-center think tank Third Way. 

“But beyond that speech, what has happened is the contest is actually being waged,” he added. “Biden is appearing in swing states and touting accomplishments and contrasting himself with Trump both on substance and values. Voters are only now being reminded of the chaos of the four Trump years. And Biden has a better positive to tell and a better negative story to tell about Trump.”