First Lady makes brief Los Angeles visit for Biden reelection fundraiser
On Friday, May 10, First Lady Jill Biden once again visited Los Angeles to help restock President Joe Biden’s campaign coffers — this time speaking at a private fundraiser in a mountainside mansion perched above Beverly Hills.
The First Lady’s Los Angeles visit was very brief, lasting less than five hours. She touched down in Burbank Airport around 1:15 p.m., delivered a 12-minute speech at 3:15 p.m. and then swiftly departed for Phoenix, Arizona where she was due to speak at another campaign reception at 6:45 p.m.
During her speech, she recounted why she decided to say yes to President Joe Biden’s fifth marriage proposal, emphasized the importance of his steady and experienced leadership and explained why she believes former president Donald Trump cannot be allowed to win again.
The event took place in the private residence of longtime Democratic donors and supporters Kimberly Marteau Emerson and John Emerson. Emerson was the U.S. Ambassador to Germany under President Barack Obama, while Marteau Emerson was the spokesperson for the United States Information Agency under President Bill Clinton.
An audience of around 50 gathered to hear the First Lady speak in their sunlit library room, which boasted impressive views of the Santa Monica Mountains surrounding the hillside property. Among those in attendance were co-chair of the Biden Reelection Campaign, Jeffrey Katzenberg; chair of the Biden Victory Fund, Chris Korge; and SoCal finance director for the Biden Victory Fund, Hailey Sasse.
Biden began her speech by telling people about the ultimatum Joe Biden delivered the fifth time he proposed to her: She had until he returned from a 10-day trip to say yes or he could no longer bear to “just be friends” and the relationship would end.
She also recalled how, when he came back for her answer, he said, “Jill, I promise you, your life will never change.” And while their lives have changed greatly since that moment in 1977, her husband has always been a source of stability for her and the nation, she said.
“Through the highs and lows of our country and this world — a pandemic, an assault on our capital, a war — he is that same steady leader, the faithful warrior, battling for the soul of our nation,” she said. “I wouldn’t wish the tragic world events of these past few years on any American president, but I’m so grateful that Joe is our president during these uncertain, unpredictable and tumultuous times.”
She said Biden wakes up every morning thinking about the American people, while former president Donald Trump “wakes up every morning caring about one person, and one person only, himself.”
Biden also criticized Trump for calling Americans who died in war “losers” and “suckers,” saying that as the daughter of a WWII Navy veteran and the mother of an Army soldier she found it deeply offensive.
“Donald Trump is dangerous to our families and to our country,” she said. “We are the first generation in half a century to give our daughters a country with fewer rights than we had. We simply cannot let him win.”
She recounted the moment the 2020 election results were certified and how it felt “like this huge weight had been lifted and we could finally breathe again.” She asked audience members to remember how they felt after the 2020 election and then compare that to how they felt when Trump won in 2016.
“Remember how you woke up and said to yourself ‘Oh my God, what just happened?’ We cannot let that happen again,” she said.
She ended her speech by urging them to fight hard to help her husband win the election, saying that their rights and democracy were at stake.
“This election is going to take all of us,” she said, “so I’m looking forward to working with all of you because we are going to win.”
Her Los Angeles visit comes as part of a three-day fundraising blitz through Oregon, California and Arizona. On Thursday she spoke at private fundraisers in Portland, Oregon and Marin County. Tomorrow, she is scheduled to deliver remarks at Mesa Community College’s 2024 Commencement Ceremony in Tempe, Arizona.
Friday’s event marked the First Lady’s fourth visit to the city of angels since December 2023.
In March, the First Lady spoke at a fundraising event in Hancock Park that raised over $1 million, delivered an address at the Human Rights Campaign’s 2024 Los Angeles dinner and gave a talk on the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. In February, she spoke at a gala championing Black designers and brands, while her husband attended a private fundraiser in Bel Air.
While the President has been performing poorly in approval ratings — currently lingering around 38% — his finances have been faring much better. His reelection campaign reported raising more than $90 million in March and ending the first quarter of 2024 with $192 million-plus in cash on hand.
In comparison, the Trump election campaign reported raising $65 million in March and $76 million in April. Former President Trump has not made a Southern California stop since September 2023 when he spoke at the California GOP’s convention in Anaheim.