Biden’s campaign and its allies have raised $28 million so far as part of a star-studded fundraiser, breaking the record for the Democratic Party’s largest fundraiser, the campaign announced Saturday.
The huge sum was announced just hours before President Joe Biden appeared at the Los Angeles fundraiser alongside former President Barack Obama, actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts and comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
“This Saturday, we will see an unprecedented and record-breaking result in the world of media and entertainment,” campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg said in a statement. “The enthusiasm and commitment to Biden/Harris could not be stronger. We all understand that this is the most important election of our lifetime.”
A campaign official said the fundraising money “will be used to open offices, hire organizers and launch paid media campaigns to communicate directly” with voters.
Biden’s campaign continued to accept donations in the hours leading up to the fundraiser, so the final total may not be known until late Saturday night.
NBC News reached out to the Democratic National Committee to ask if the event broke fundraising records. NBC News cannot independently verify the claim because fundraising numbers are not immediately reflected in Federal Election Commission data.
The numbers released at Saturday’s fundraiser eclipse the total reportedly raised at the New York fundraiser in March, which also featured a host of celebrities. That fundraiser raised $26 million, according to the Biden campaign, which said it was the largest Democratic fundraiser to date.
Like the fundraiser in New York, the fundraiser in Los Angeles featured a conversation between presidents moderated by comedians. Jimmy Kimmel moderated a conversation between Biden and Obama. During the March fundraiser, Stephen Colbert moderated a conversation with Biden, Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
Saturday’s conversation with Kimmel, Biden and Obama touched on a range of political issues — and, perhaps unsurprisingly, former President Donald Trump.
“We have made a lot of progress. He wants to get rid of everything,” Biden said, referring to Trump.
“I think part of what’s happened in the last few years is we’ve normalized behavior that used to be disqualifying,” Obama said, pointing to Trump’s conviction and other legal issues.
Biden said that whoever wins the presidency in November will likely nominate two justices to the Supreme Court during his term, suggesting that Trump would “appoint two more flags flying upside down,” referring to the controversy surrounding Justice Samuel Alito.
He continued, noting that the Supreme Court has “never been as unbalanced as it is today.”
Kimmel also praised the Affordable Care Act during the conversation, pointing to his son’s heart condition, which he has discussed previously. Biden emphasized that if Republicans dismantled the ACA, “they would be significantly harming the nation.”
“I’m very proud of what the Biden administration has accomplished,” Obama said during the conversation. “And it’s a reminder that we don’t just have to vote against something in this election.”
Saturday’s fundraiser also featured performances and a host of celebrities, including Jack Black, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jason Bateman and Kathryn Hahn. Barbra Streisand introduced First Lady Jill Biden, praising her work in education and women’s health.
The first lady emphasized that the election was a matter of character. She said voters could choose between Biden and “someone who wakes up every morning worried about one person and one person only: himself.”
O Biden Campaign ended April, the month with the most recently available FEC report, with more than $84 million on hand, dominating the money race compared to the Trump campaign‘It is more than US$49 million during the same period.
Trump’s campaign he said who, together with his allies, raised more than $34 million after his conviction last month. NBC News cannot independently verify this claim as FEC records from May are not yet available.
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