Standing on a raised patio in the middle of a Los Angeles backyard Friday night, President Joe Biden had a warning for the collection of movie moguls, stars, politicians and plain wealthy Democrats who had opened their checkbooks to support his reelection.
“Literally, I believe, the future of American democracy is at stake,” Biden said at the high-dollar fundraiser, speaking over the distant sound of chants, whistles, helicopters and sirens from a pro-Palestinian protest down the block.
“The greatest threat Trump poses is to our democracy,” he told the crowd, which included Steven Spielberg and Lenny Kravitz. “Because if we lost that, we lose everything.”
It was as stark a warning as Biden has offered as he rakes in millions of dollars in campaign donations ahead of the end of the year, and one he and his campaign are preparing to amplify in the coming months.
Biden’s high-dollar fundraisers this week will amount to his most lucrative cash events since announcing his intention to run for reelection last spring, drawing in more than $15 million from eager Democrats ahead of what officials believe will be the most expensive campaign ever run.
But the ritzy events he’s been holding this fall – in hotel ballrooms, backyards, on theater stages and in many a well-appointed living room – are proving useful to the president beyond just their high dollar intake. Away from cameras, Biden is trying out new material as he fine-tunes his reelection argument heading into next year.
It could be months before Biden begins holding big campaign rallies, making this moment an opportunity to evolve his stump speech in front of smaller crowds — where, under White House rules, cameras aren’t allowed. Biden is still searching for a message that can help him overcome the significant challenges facing his reelection, including a low approval rating…
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