
George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Barack Obama were among those who attended a star-studded fundraiser for President Joe Biden. According to his re-election campaign, the event raised a record $30 million.
On Saturday night, several celebrities including Barbra Streisand and Julia Roberts took the stage at the 7,100-seat Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel, the late-night host, interviewed Biden and former president Barack Obama who emphasised the importance of defeating former president Donald Trump in what is predicted to be an extremely tight contest.
To Kimmel's question about whether Americans were suffering from amnesia about the likely Republican candidate, Biden said, "All we gotta do is remember what it was like" while Trump was president.
A growing number of well-known figures in the entertainment industry have stepped up to support Biden's campaign. The Democratic president's decision to fly through the night from the G7 summit in southern Italy to Southern California indicates how crucial the event was to his reelection campaign.
When Kimmel asked President Biden what he was most proud of doing, he said that he believed the administration's economic strategy “is working”. “We have the strongest economy in the world today,” Biden said, stating, “We try to give ordinary people an even chance.”
"Hopefully we have learned our lesson, because these elections matter in very concrete ways," Obama said, referring to the Supreme Court.
Three judges that Trump picked were instrumental in overturning Roe v. Wade, the historic ruling that upheld the constitutional right to an abortion. When the topic of Roe was brought up, the audience shouted their disapproval. Obama's response was, "Don't hiss, vote."
Meanwhile,the Biden team stated that even though they were still counting, the event on Saturday night raised over $30 million, the most ever for a Democratic candidate.
That means exceeding Biden's $26 million fundraiser held in March at Radio City Music Hall in New York, when late-night presenter Stephen Colbert conducted interviews with Biden, Obamaand former president Bill Clinton.
(With inputs from agencies)