President Joe Biden set a Democratic fundraising record with a haul of at least $28 million on Saturday night.
The fundraiser in Los Angeles, California, featured celebrities like George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Barbra Streisand, Jack Black, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jason Bateman, and Kathryn Hahn. Musical groups The Silhouettes and Sista Strings were also present, with the latter performing “Lift Every Voice.”
“$28 million heading into President Biden’s LA fundraiser — and counting,” a Biden spokesperson said. “This is the largest Democratic fundraiser in history.”
Later in the program, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel hosted a panel discussion with Biden and former President Barack Obama. The two criticized Biden’s 2024 opponent, Donald Trump, throughout the night.
“What [Trump] did on Jan. 6, and now he’s literally saying if he doesn’t win, there’ll be a bloodbath,” Biden said. “It’s outrageous; what he’s talking about is outrageous.”
“We’ve normalized behavior that used to be disqualified,” Obama said of Trump.
This was Biden’s second celebrity fundraiser this cycle, the first being in March, which raised $25 million in New York. Writer and actress Mindy Kaling spoke at the event, and singers Ben Platt and Lizzo performed.
Clooney’s participation follows reports that he called the White House regarding Biden’s condemnation of international warrants issued to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Clooney’s wife, Amal Alamuddin, is a prosecutor working with the International Criminal Court.
Previously, Clooney hosted a fundraiser for Biden ahead of the 2020 election that raised $7 million and personally donated $500,000 to the Biden-Harris campaign.
