After flying overnight across nine time zones, from southern Italy to southern California, President Joe Biden is shifting his focus from challenging Russia to uniting the West to raise big money for his re-election campaign at a fundraiser in Hollywood that will be attended by George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
Biden went straight from the Group of Seven summit, where Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine took center stage, to Los Angeles and the glitzy gathering at the Peacock Theater on Saturday night. The trip was only interrupted by a refueling stop outside Washington.
Former President Barack Obama will join Clooney and Roberts, and host Jimmy Kimmel will interview them all on stage. In an earlier text message to donors, Roberts said it was “a crucial moment in the election.” Kimmel wrote in his own text that presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump “will hate this, so let’s do it.”
Showbiz luminaries have increasingly lined up to help Biden’s campaign, hoping to provide a fundraising jolt and energize potential supporters to head to the polls before Election Day. against Trump.
But rubbing shoulders with the stars this time means Biden skips a summit in Switzerland on ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Vice President Kamala Harris will be representing the United States.
It’s a stark reminder that his responsibilities as president and his reelection campaign can sometimes conflict.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, Hollywood mogul, major Democratic donor and co-chairman of Biden’s campaign, said in a statement: “We are going to see unprecedented and record participation from the world of media and entertainment.”
In March, Biden raised funds at Radio City Music Hall in New York, where host Stephen Colbert interviewed the president, Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
