President Joe Biden steps up his reelection effort this week with four fundraisers in the San Francisco area as his campaign builds its coffers and lays the strategic foundation for 2024.
In the second half of June, Biden's campaign will host more than 20 fundraisers involving him, Vice President Kamala Harris, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, according to a person involved in the plans. Biden's trip who insisted on anonymity to discuss the schedule. .
More than half of the fundraisers are with the Democratic president, who arrived in California on Monday and was greeted by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Biden will also travel to New York, Maryland and Illinois. The president addressed his campaign issues at a fundraiser Friday in Connecticut, saying he aims to do more to inform voters about his legislative accomplishments with infrastructure, computer chip production and programs to respond to change. climate, among other policies.
At the first of two fundraisers Monday, Biden said democracy itself was at stake in the 2024 election, saying his administration had restored "a sense of trust in the Constitution." The fundraiser at the home of Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott was co-hosted by Reid Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn.
Biden took aim at Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville for delaying military promotions because of a policy that ensures members of the military still have access to abortions, which were restricted in many states after a Supreme Court ruling last year. . "It's strange. I don't remember it happening before and I've been around,” said Biden, 80, adding a joke about his age: “I know I don't look like I've been around very long.”
The fundraising blitz follows Biden's first campaign rally on Saturday in Philadelphia, where he received endorsements from key unions, the event highlighted a critical constituency in the largest population center of a critical battleground state. . It was meant to be an early show of enthusiasm for Biden's campaign and a place for him to interact directly with voters before spending much of the rest of the month meeting with wealthy benefactors.
The rush of pledges comes before the end of the fundraising quarter at the end of the month, and Biden's campaign finance report in July will provide the first test of Democratic donors' enthusiasm for his re-election effort.
Biden, unlike former President Donald Trump and other 2024 Republican contenders, has not revealed any hints about his fundraising since declaring his candidacy in April. And his campaign launch was timed to avoid having to file a campaign finance report for the first quarter, a historically difficult fundraising period.
For the first time in a US election, Biden has joint fundraising agreements with all 50 state Democratic parties and the branch in Washington, DC, an arrangement that can help maximize donations and minimize spending in the early months of the campaign It's part of a broader effort to unite a diverse Democratic coalition behind Biden as Republicans grapple with what could be a large and divisive primary.
“As MAGA Republicans spend cash on their primaries, vying for the most extreme agenda, the president's campaign will capitalize on the opportunity to raise significant resources,” said Biden campaign manager Julie C. Rodriguez, referring to the Trump campaign “Make America Great Again” slogan.
Separately, RodrĂguez will travel across the US to meet with donors, local officials and community leaders to help align the coalition. Along with other campaign officials, the tour begins in Atlanta and will include Boston, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and St. Louis.
Not all of Biden's time on Monday and Tuesday in San Francisco was devoted to the campaign. On Monday, she went with Newsom and other officials to the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center and Preserve in Palo Alto. She toured the area's coastal wetlands and announced $600 million for projects to address climate change.
“These wetlands act as a critical buffer between rising tides and communities at risk,” Biden said, calling the reserve a “success story” in ongoing efforts to contain the damage of climate change.
