NewsNation

Obama, Clinton to attend star-studded Biden fundraiser in NYC

(NewsNation) — Instead of spending time at the White House on Thursday evening, President Joe Biden will be the headliner at Radio City Music Hall in New York City for an event to raise money for his reelection campaign.

Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton will join Biden for the event, with sources telling NewsNation that Obama plans to get more involved in the campaign.


Recent polls show a tight race between Biden and former President Donald Trump. Sources tell NewsNation that Obama has expressed growing concerns over a November rematch of the 2020 presidential election with the presumptive nominees, saying Trump will likely be tougher to beat this time around.

Just last weekend, sources familiar with the situation told NewsNation that Biden hosted Obama for dinner at the White House. Biden also keeps in regular contact with Clinton, which leads to Thursday night’s fundraiser.

The star-studded event will feature other big names. Late night comedy host Stephen Colbert will moderate a conversation with the three leaders. Other celebrities involved include Queen Latifah, Mindy Kaling, Lizzo and Lea Michele.

Attending the event won’t come cheap, with tickets starting at $225. A photo with Biden, Obama and Clinton comes at a $100,000 price tag. And the option to attend smaller, more intimate receptions will set donors back between $250,000 to $500,000.

Biden’s campaign said the event has raised a whopping $25 million — setting a new record for the most-ever haul for a single political event.

Trump will also be in New York City on Thursday but for much different reasons. He plans to attend a wake on Long Island for NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller, a three-year veteran of the force killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop in Queens earlier this week.

Biden’s campaign event is expected to add on to a massive amount of campaign donations. Heading into March, Biden had around double the amount of cash on hand compared to Trump.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.