As President Biden’s poll numbers face challenges, his campaign is gearing up for a massive fundraiser in Los Angeles, featuring former President Obama and a lineup of Hollywood A-listers such as George Clooney and Julia Roberts. This star-studded event aims to bolster the president’s fundraising efforts in the face of a tightening race.
Despite out-raising former President Trump thus far, Biden’s campaign is feeling the pressure as Trump’s fundraising has surged in recent weeks, particularly following his formal nomination. The Republican National Committee (RNC) has also experienced a boost in donations since Ronna McDaniel’s resignation.
Scheduled for mid-June, the Los Angeles fundraiser will include a contest featuring Clooney and Roberts on the campaign’s social media platforms, aimed at engaging grassroots donors and celebrity supporters alike. Both actors will also lend their names to campaign communications in hopes of further energizing fundraising efforts.
The campaign seeks to replicate the success of its recent New York City fundraiser, which featured Obama and Bill Clinton and raised a record-breaking $26 million. Despite these efforts, Biden’s campaign continues to struggle with small-dollar donations, with a significant portion of contributions coming from larger donors.
According to FEC records, a notable 35 percent of Biden’s re-election campaign donations exceed $2,000, while just 38 percent come from small donors contributing between $1 and $200. In contrast, the Trump campaign has seen 61 percent of its funds come from small donors and only nine percent from larger donors. Biden’s reliance on big donors has increased since 2020, while Trump’s has decreased by a comparable margin.
