Politics

Biden to hold star-studded fundraiser featuring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Obama

By
Social Links for Diana Glebova
Published May 13, 2024, 12:23 p.m. ET

President Biden is set to host a celebrity-filled Los Angeles fundraiser in June — enlisting stars such as George Clooney and Julia Roberts to help him try to make the case for the 81-year-old’s re-election bid.

Former President Barack Obama, Biden’s old boss, also will be a featured guest as well as “other top surrogates and supporters,” a Biden campaign official told The Post.

In addition to their fundraiser appearance, Clooney, 63, and Roberts, 56, will be participating in a “contest” as part of the campaign, which will be blasted out on “social media, digital advertisements, and emails and text messages” to engage grassroots donors, according to the Biden re-election official.

Julia Roberts and George Clooney attend the premiere of Universal Pictures' "Ticket To Paradise" at Regency Village Theatre on October 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Hollywood buddies Julia Roberts and George Clooney — here attending the premiere of their Universal Pictures’ flick “Ticket To Paradise” in Los Angeles in October 2022 — are teaming up to try to give President Biden’s re-election campaign a boost. Getty Images

The “Ticket to Paradise” stars, who have been appearing in movies together since the 2001 hit “Ocean’s Eleven,” will be pictured in the campaign materials to reach more voters.

George Clooney attends the Deutsche Postcode Lotterie Charity Gala 2023 on May 24, 2023
Clooney has been an active Biden supporter. Getty Images

Clooney endorsed Biden in 2020 and held a virtual fundraiser for him in July of that year.

“The Monuments Men” and TV “ER” actor had also supported Obama’s two terms and endorsed Hillary Clinton during her failed 2016 presidential run.

Obama, 62, had already been enlisted to campaign for Biden and joined him in March for a Radio City Music Hall fundraiser in Manhattan with former president Bill Clinton.

Julia Roberts attends the Julia Roberts' Chopard Collection launch and dinner at Chateau Marmont on March 08, 2024.
Roberts will partake in some kind of Biden campaign “contest” with Clooney to try to attract grassroots donors, too. Getty Images for Chopard

The three current and former presidents raised more than $25 million at the event, where tickets were running for up to $500,000 each.

The June mega fundraiser is intended to shore up more money for the Biden campaign and grow the “significant financial advantage” the president’s re-election camp has over 77-year-old former President Donald Trump, the Biden official added.

Biden’s campaign has enjoyed a larger pot of cash throughout the election cycle as Trump battles mounting legal bills over his four criminal indictments.

Biden’s April money numbers are not out yet, but at the end of March, the president’s team and the Democratic National Committee had $192 million cash on hand.

Barack Obama (L) and US President Joe Biden arrive for a campaign fundraising event at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 28, 2024.
Former President Barack Obama, here with Biden at a Manhattan fundraising event in March, will appear at the California campaign event in June, too. AFP via Getty Images

Last week, Biden’s West Coast swing brought in another $10 million for his campaign, according to a source familiar with the event.

As for Trump, the former president has personally hosted several large donor events, including a huge fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago in April that generated a record-breaking $50.5 million.

Trump’s team has acknowledged that they will likely not reach Biden’s level of cash but said their campaign strategy will still be enough to come out on top in November.