Biden wraps up fundraising blitz aimed at making a bold statement
President Joe Biden has cozied up to high-dollar donors at Upper East Side penthouses in New York and on West Coast decks in recent weeks. He has two more fundraisers in Manhattan on Thursday that will close out an endof-quarter campaign blitz that his team believes will put him on strong financial footing for a 2024 White House contest expected to set spending records.
The pair of evening events will be Biden’s 9th and 10th fundraising receptions of the past two weeks, numbers matched by Vice President Kamala Harris, first lady Jill Biden, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff. The Biden campaign has been mum before the July 15 reporting date about how much he has raised at the often freewheeling gatherings, but is confident about the size.
The president is also marshaling the whole of the Democratic Party to dial for dollars, enlisting help from Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois as well as former President Barack Obama, among others.
Obama is being featured in a new campaign video meant to encourage small-dollar online donations before Friday’s donation deadline. Biden allies insist that despite polls showing lagging enthusiasm among the Democratic base for the 80-year-old president, his party is solidly behind him.
“I’ve been doing this for a really long time for a number of presidents and presidential candidates,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Hollywood mogul, major Democratic donor and co-chair of Biden’s campaign.
“I’ve never seen from top to bottom, the Democratic enterprise kick into gear this way, from President Obama, governors, senators, congressmen, just across the board — he’s gotten outstanding support.”
Aides say they are trying to motivate donors, especially small-dollar contributors, to dig deeper early on.
The recent blitz was also a function of Biden’s official duties, Katzenberg said, adding that “his first, second and third job is to run the country.” Biden had foreign trips in April and May, and the weekslong showdown over raising the nation’s debt limit kept him in Washington.
He is set to travel to Europe next month, giving the campaign a narrow window before the historically slow summer season to fit in donor events.