Politics
Biden looks to capitalize on star-studded Hollywood fundraiser after Trump's massive cash haul in blue state
After a lucrative three-day swing by former President Trump through California, President Biden returns to the West Coast to tap into the Democratic-dominated state’s political ATM.
With less than five months to go until the November election, late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel will interview Biden and former President Obama as they team up with Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney and Julia Roberts at a star-studded fundraiser that’s expected to haul in millions.
It’s the latest case of national politicians coming to California to pad their campaign coffers. According to figures from the Federal Election Commission, Biden and Trump have raked in more money in California this cycle than from any other state.
“When politicians look to the west, they see a field of green,” veteran California-based political scientist Jack Pitney at Claremont McKenna College told Fox News.
TRUMP HAULS IN PLENTY OF GREEN DURING SWING THROUGH BLUE BASTION
President Biden and former President Trump have both hauled in millions at fundraising events in California as they face off in their 2024 election rematch. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson and Evan Vucci)
Tickets for the gala at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, which an invitation described as a “historic night,” ranged from $250 for a single person to get in the door to half a million dollars for special access, photos with Biden and Obama and invitations to an after-party.
The president arrives in California one week after Trump left the Golden State.
Trump’s team said that when all the money is counted, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was expected to haul in roughly $27.5 million from three fundraisers in California and one in Las Vegas, a senior campaign official told Fox News.
WHY TRUMP’S SAN FRANCISCO FUNDRAISER WAS FRUITFUL IN MORE THAN ONE WAY
And the Trump campaign said an additional $6 million was raised for outside groups supporting his 2024 election rematch with Biden.
Trump has been aiming to close his fundraising gap with Biden. In April, his campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) for the first time raised more than the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
Trump’s campaign announced a week ago it and the RNC, fueled in part by the former president’s guilty verdicts in his recently concluded criminal trial, hauled in a stunning $141 million in May.
Former President Trump appears in Manhattan Criminal Court May 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)
Trump was found guilty of all 34 felony counts in the first trial of a former or current president in the nation’s history.
The former president’s campaign noted that in the first 24 hours following the verdict, it and the RNC brought in nearly $53 million, which counted toward May’s total.
The Biden campaign has also been raising money off the Trump verdict, and a source told Fox News “the 24 hours after the verdict were one of the best fundraising 24 hours of the Biden campaign since launch.”
While Trump’s California fundraising haul was fueled by top-dollar GOP donors, including tech industry investors and hedge fund giants, Saturday’s fundraising for Biden is being orchestrated by the Democratic Hollywood machine.
It’s no surprise. The entertainment industry, which showered presidents Clinton and Obama with campaign cash, has long been known for its Democratic leanings.
Former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and President Biden. (Getty Images)
And while the 81-year-old Biden doesn’t have the tight relationships with Hollywood that his Democratic predecessors enjoyed, he can still draw a crowd.
“Any Democratic presidential candidate is going to be able to raise a lot of money in California, and an incumbent president has a big advantage. When the president enters a room, it fills up with cash,” Pitney said.
Major strikes by two Hollywood labor unions representing film and television writers and actors from May through November of last year delayed Biden from raising money in Los Angeles entertainment circles.
But the president started making up for lost time in December with a major fundraiser hosted by famed directors Steven Spielberg and Rob Reiner. Saturday’s mega-fundraiser was orchestrated by media mogul and Democratic rainmaker Jeffrey Katzenberg, who’s a Biden campaign co-chair.
Katzenberg also put together a major fundraiser with Biden, Obama and Clinton in March at New York City’s famed Radio City Music Hall, which raked in $26 million.
The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee have enlisted the help of plenty of stars and well-known performers from the entertainment world as the president runs for a second term.
Among those lending a hand is famed actor Robert De Niro, who headlined a Biden campaign news conference outside the New York City courthouse during the final days of Trump’s trial.
The news conference went viral after De Niro, who portrayed mobsters in such cinematic masterpieces as “The Godfather Part II” and “Goodfellas,” screamed at nearby Trump supporters that “You are gangsters” as they yelled obscenities at the actor.
Actor Mark Hamill, who portrayed Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars saga, made a recent unannounced appearance at the White House briefing room to praise the president and called Biden “Joe-Bi-Wan-Kenobi.”
Spielberg has helped the DNC with its storytelling efforts, and Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer campaigned with Vice President Kamala Harris on a recent swing through battleground Michigan.
Trump, whose final California fundraiser took place last weekend at a tony gated community in upscale Newport Beach, California, and included veteran actor Jon Voight, will spend this weekend in Michigan, holding multiple events, including a roundtable discussion at a northwest Detroit church.
Supporters of former President Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, react to his motorcade on the day he visits to raise money in Newport Beach, Calif., June 8, 2024. (REUTERS/David Swanson)
The Trump campaign argued the former president will be meeting with “everyday Americans” while “Biden will be at a glitzy fundraiser in Hollywood with his elitist, out-of-touch celebrity benefactors that own him.”
The Trump campaign and Republican allies also criticized the president for skipping a peace conference on Ukraine being held this weekend in Switzerland to appear at the California fundraiser. Vice President Kamala Harris will represent the U.S. at the peace talks.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
As he fights for his political life, House Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Bob Good of Virginia is facing off against a primary challenger supported by the most powerful politician in the Republican Party – former President Trump.
And the contentious intra-party battle in Virginia’s reliably red 5th Congressional District, in the southern part of the Commonwealth, is pitting conservatives versus conservatives and Trump against some of his biggest allies in the House of Representatives.
It’s one of the high-profile races on Tuesday as Virginia and Oklahoma hold primary elections.
And if Good loses, he’ll become the first House incumbent from either major party to be defeated by a primary challenger so far this election year.
FOX NEWS POLL: BIDEN, TRUMP IN A DEAD HEAT IN VIRGINIA
Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, speaks alongside fellow members during a press conference on the government funding bill, at the U.S. Capitol on March 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Good incurred Trump’s wrath for being one of just a handful of House Republicans to endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential primaries.
Even though the two-term congressman avoided criticizing Turmp and quickly endorsed the former president after DeSantis ended his White House bid in January, Trump wrote on this Truth Social platform that “the damage had been done!”
Trump last month endorsed John McGuire, a Virginia state senator and former Navy SEAL, who is challenging Good for the GOP nomination.
McGuire also has the backing of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a conservative firebrand and major Trump ally who is a vocal critic of Good who last year broke with the House Freedom Caucus, which is considered the most far-right group of lawmakers in the chamber.
Then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, as he was ousted as House Speaker. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is also targeting Good, who was one of eight Republicans last autumn who joined with Democrats to vote to oust McCarthy from his leadership position.
But Good has the support of Reps. Matt Gaetz and Byron Donalds of Florida, two conservatives who are also strong backers of Trump.
And fellow House Freedom Caucus members, Reps. Chip Roy of Texas and Andy Biggs of Arizona, joined Good in Virginia for a rally on Friday.
Even though he’s being targeted by Trump, Good is spotlighting his support for the former president as he runs for re-election.
“Happy Birthday to the best and next president of the United States, President Trump!” Good wrote on social media on Friday, on the former president’s 78th birthday.
Good also showed up earlier this spring at Trump’s criminal trial in New York City, to show his support for the former president.
In Virginia’s Republican Senate primary, Trump is supporting Navy veteran Hung Cao.
Cao faces Scott Parkinson, who has endorsements from Good and other GOP members of Congress. Three other candidates are also vying for the Republican nomination, with the winner challenging Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in November.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) arrives to a caucus meeting with House Republicans on Capitol Hill May 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
In Oklahoma, the race to watch is in the red-state’s 4th Congressional District, where 10-term Republican Rep. Tom Cole is facing a primary challenge from wealthy businessman Paul Bondar.
Cole, the chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, has spent over $3 million as he fights for re-nomination. But Bondar, a first time candidate who made his money in the insurance industry, has shelled out nearly $5 million to try and unseat Cole, who has Trump’s backing.
There are three other candidates on the primary ballot, and if no one tops 50%, there will be a runoff with the two leading contenders in August.
Fox News’ Matt Reidy contributed to this report
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
A galaxy of political and entertainment stars (of various wattage) arrived Saturday night at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater for a gala fundraiser for President Biden’s reelection campaign.
Here’s a rundown of some of those who attended the event, which is expected to raise at least $28 million:
First Lady Jill Biden
Former President Obama
Julia Roberts
George Clooney
Barbra Streisand
Paul Anka
Kathy Griffin
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Bryan Lourd
Richard Lovett
Jimmy Kimmel
Jack Black
Kathryn Hahn
Jason Bateman
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Gov. Gavin Newsom
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles)
Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (D-Norwalk)
Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-N.H.)
Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village)
Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara)
Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Indio)
Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside)
Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Pacoima)
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego)
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach)
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance)
Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-San Pedro)
L.A. Councilmember Kevin de León
L.A. Councilmember Curren Price
People wait in line to attend President Biden’s fundraiser at the Peacock Theater.
(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)
Thousands of Biden supporters paid between $250, for a seat far from the stage, and $500,000 — for a ticket package that includes prime seats, photos with both presidents and a VIP after-party.
Politics
Secret Service agent robbed at gunpoint during President Biden's trip to Southern California
A Secret Service agent was robbed at gunpoint in California over the weekend, according to local law enforcement. It happened at the same time President Biden was in California for a star-studded Los Angeles fundraiser.
On Saturday, June 15, just after 9:30 p.m., the Tustin Police Department said officers responded to a call about a possible robbery that happened at the Tustin Fields 1 residential community.
Upon arrival, officers discovered the victim was a member of the Secret Service and that his bag was stolen at gunpoint.
During the incident, police said an agent-involved shooting happened.
HOLLYWOOD SLAMMED FOR PUSHING YOUNG AMERICANS TO VOTE FOR BIDEN: ‘THE LAST THING MY GENERATION WANTS’
Police are searching for this car in connection to the robbery. (Tustin Police Department)
The suspect(s) were not found, and it is unknown at this time whether the suspect(s) was injured as a result of the incident, police said.
Officers found some of the victim’s belongings in the area and the incident is being investigated.
Police are looking for a 2004-2006 silver Infiniti FX35 or similar vehicle that was seen leaving the scene.
BIDEN CAMPAIGN RAISES $30 MILLION AT CELEBRITY FUNDRAISER AS TRUMP COURTS BLACK VOTERS IN DETROIT
A Secret Service agent was robbed at gunpoint in Tustin, California, on the same day President Biden was attending a star-studded Los Angeles fundraiser. (Getty Images)
Authorities said there is no known threat to the public.
The Tustin Police Department is looking for assistance from the public in identifying the subject(s) involved in the crime and are urging anyone with information to call 714-573-3372.
President Biden was in Los Angeles for a campaign fundraiser on Saturday night.
LATE-NIGHT DNCTV? COLBERT, KIMMEL FUNDRAISE FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN
President Biden speaks beside former President Obama during a campaign fundraiser at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 15, 2024. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand were among those in attendance at the star-studded event, which reportedly raised more than $30 million.
Tickets for Saturday’s gala at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, which an invitation described as a “historic night,” ranged from $250 for a single person to get in the door to half a million dollars for special access, photos with Biden and former President Obama and invitations to an after-party.
The fundraiser comes less than three months after CBS’ Stephen Colbert participated in a lavish record-setting fundraiser that brought in $26 million for the Biden campaign.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
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Secret Service agent robbed at gunpoint during President Biden's trip to Southern California
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