Biden contacts Obama on a regular basis to talk about personal issues and the current election. Obama is now taking charge by contacting Jeffrey D. Zients, Biden’s chief of staff, and important aides in the Biden campaign to plot and provide advice. However, talking to Old Joe and really doing anything do not seem to be the same thing. Obama’s involvement shows how much he worries about former President Trump defeating Biden rather than how much he supports the former president.
A senior advisor, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that Obama has “always” been concerned about a Biden loss and is ready to “eke it out” with his former vice president in what seems to be a close race.
Following the death of his son Beau in 2015, Biden thought about running for president, but Obama discouraged him, thinking Hillary Clinton would be a stronger candidate. Obama’s dismissal of Biden left his advisers with unresolved animosity. In 2019, when Biden finally decided to challenge Trump, Obama first declined to provide his endorsement until following the Democratic primary.
Despite their rather chilly history, Obama and former President Bill Clinton’s mutual contempt for Trump and desire for continued power have strengthened their friendship even more as Obama gets ready to host a star-studded event for the Biden campaign on Thursday.
CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” host Stephen Colbert will lead “Evening with Presidents” at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Along with Biden, Obama, and Clinton, he will facilitate an “armchair chat.”
Program presenter Mindy Kaling, an actress well known for her work on “The Office” and “The Mindy Project,” will be presenting the show. Musical guests Lizzo, Queen Latifah, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Platt, and Lea Michele will also perform during the evening. Three of Lizzo’s former backup dancers have accused her of sexual assault and harassment, making her a contentious pick. Still, there is nothing “on brand” that Billy and Joe cannot connect to.
Celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz will be taking photographs of attendees with the three presidents at the benefit. Presumably, due to inflation, a picture including all three presidents starts at $100,000. Donors who make gifts at the $250,000 and $500,000 levels will receive exclusive invitations to the three presidential events.
The campaign’s co-chairs, Jeffrey Katzenberg from DreamWorks, Rufus Gifford, the campaign finance chairman, and Anna Wintour, the U.S. artistic director of Condé Nast and inspiration behind the “devilish” character in “The Devil Wears Prada,” are all involved in organizing the fundraiser. Chris Korge, a seasoned Democratic fundraiser and the Biden Victory Fund Finance Chair, is leading the charge.
According to the organizers, this sold-out benefit is the first of its type.
Korge stated:
“This will be Joe Biden’s largest fundraising endeavor to date in his political career. It is the biggest fundraising occasion in Democratic Party history, I think. Additionally, it is the only occasion that three Democratic presidents have collaborated on a campaign fundraiser.”
The event hopes to draw about 3,000 people and raise at least $10 million. There are $250 to $500,000 worth of tickets available, making this projected to be Biden’s most profitable fundraiser to date. With the help of joint committees and the Biden campaign, the incumbent president amassed a significant war chest of $155 million in February—the most amount ever for a Democratic presidential contender at this point in the election season.
Hillary Clinton and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda will hold another Broadway fundraiser for Biden the following month. $500 to $5,000 tickets will be available, and participants will see a production of “Suffs,” a musical about the women’s suffrage struggle that Hillary Clinton co-produced.
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