Wall Street execs host Biden fundraisers as president closes out campaign blitz
NEW YORK >> President Joe Biden closed out an end-of-quarter campaign blitz Thursday with a pair of Manhattan fundraisers hosted by Wall Street power brokers, a funding push designed to put Biden on strong financial footing for a 2024 White House contest expected to set spending records.
The pair of evening events are Biden's ninth 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 reason I'm standing here is in large part because of you all,” Biden said to a small crowd gathered in a high rise overlooking Central Park. “I'm not the essential man, but I represent the essential country.”
The president also is 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 featured in a new campaign video to encourage small-dollar online donations before today'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.”
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.
While the first quarter is widely viewed as a benchmark of campaign strength, Katzenberg said there is “no urgency right now” for Biden to raise or spend vast sums because he lacks a credible primary threat and the election is 16 months away. Still, Biden is aiming to make a statement with the early totals.
The president's fundraising events, closed to cameras and with limited media access, feature a far less guarded Biden than the public often sees. He sometimes uses them to test a new campaign line or dish out more candid remarks than in formal events.