(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign says it will set a “record” in political fundraising after a star-studded event Thursday night in New York City.
The New York City event will include former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama along with celebrities, and the campaign said it’s already raised $25 million. That’s more than half of the $53 million the campaign took in during the entire month of February.
The Biden-Harris campaign has called the Radio City Music Hall fundraiser a historic event featuring two former presidents along with the sitting president for a conversation moderated by Stephen Colbert. Other guests include host Mindy Kaling along with Lea Michele, Queen Latifah and Lizzo, who is still facing a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by three of her former dancers.
The cheapest tickets are $250, but prices go as high as $500,000. Guests who want a picture with the three presidents, taken by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, will have to fork over $100,000.
However, while celebrities have come out to raise cash for Biden, some endorsements have been missing, including Taylor Swift. While the pop star has encouraged her fans to vote, she hasn’t voiced an opinion on the candidates, though in 2020, she waited until the last minute to endorse Biden.
This election cycle, both candidates have failed to secure as many high-profile endorsements as in previous races, potentially because stars are wary of voicing an opinion in a politically fraught environment.
It’s not a new problem, as Jane Fonda notably faced similar problems in the 1970s after speaking out against the Vietnam War, but current geopolitical events put celebrities in a position of feeling pushed to speak out while weighing possible career consequences.
The war in Gaza is one particularly thorny issue with consequences for those who speak out. Scream VII actor Melissa Barrera was dropped from the production after she referred to Israel as a colonized land, and director Jonathan Glazer received backlash for his remarks calling Israel’s actions an occupation.
Still, the night is showing off Biden’s fundraising power over Republican challenger former President Donald Trump, who raised $20 million in February, less than Biden raised in just one night.
Biden is using his war chest for a $30 million rollout of ads in battleground states, which seems to be working as new polling shows Biden narrowing the gap with Trump in six out of the seven states.
As for Obama and Clinton, a source told NewsNation that Biden is in regular contact with both former presidents, and Obama plans to be at more fundraisers on the campaign trail and appear in more ads. Obama was also spotted on Air Force One with Biden just recently.
