Washington
CNN
—
President Joe Biden went after Donald Trump at a New York City fundraiser Thursday, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at a star-studded event that also included former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. It was occasionally interrupted by protesters.
“There was no president on January 6,” Biden said, insisting that Trump was not fit to return to the Oval Office, according to reports from reporters at the venue.
All three presidents issued stark warnings about the threat posed if Trump, who declined to be named, is re-elected, with Biden telling supporters: “I think our democracy is literally at stake.” .
The event at Radio City Music Hall raised more than $25 million, making it the most successful single political fundraiser ever in terms of money raised, the Biden campaign previously announced. The participation of two former two-term Democratic presidents, whom he hopes to join, is a sign of Democratic unity at a time when the president faces questions about the strength of the coalition he won in 2020. Ta.
Israel's war in Gaza was intensifying that night with protesters protesting both inside and outside the venue.
Biden referenced the conflict Thursday, saying in off-camera fundraising remarks that Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries are “ready to fully recognize Israel,” according to reporters at the venue. Repeatedly calls for a “post-Gaza plan” for Israel, including a “train to a two-state solution.”
The remarks reflect Biden's growing desire to publicly urge Israel to step up efforts to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip.
“I have been working with Saudi Arabia and all the other Arab countries, including Egypt, Jordan and Qatar. They are ready to fully recognize Israel, and they are ready to fully recognize Israel,” he said. For the first time, we fully authorize it,” Biden said. “But there has to be a post-Gaza plan, there has to be a train to a two-state solution. It doesn't have to happen today, but there has to be progress, and we believe it can.” think” ”
The event was interrupted at least four times by demonstrators, who on at least three occasions called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
“That's okay. Let them go. There are too many innocent victims, both Israelis and Palestinians.” “But we must remember that Israel's very existence is at stake. We need all of those people. They weren't killed. They were slaughtered. They were slaughtered.”
Ahead of the fundraiser, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of midtown Manhattan to protest Biden's support for Israel during the Gaza war and call for a ceasefire. Biden called for a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The fact that three of the four living Democratic presidents were in the same room, and the fact that 99-year-old Jimmy Carter, who is receiving hospice care, was not present, suggests that Biden and the Democratic Party are unlikely to agree with Trump. It exemplifies what he believes is the stakes in the campaign.
Biden focused specifically on January 6, arguing that Trump was unfit to return to the White House.
“I was supposed to give a speech about the economy, but I decided I couldn't stay silent, so what I did was give a speech about January 6th, what was going on, and that there was an uprising going on. “We have to deal with it,” Biden said, according to reporters who were present. “And I pledged to the president to stop and do the work and bring these people back.”
Instead, Mr. Biden said, Mr. Trump “sat in the dining room outside the Oval Office for several hours and watched, and he did nothing terrible.”
The president's comments come as opponents seek to downplay the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and his role in it while promising amnesty for insurrection participants.
President Trump also visited New York on Thursday to attend the vigil for NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed in Queens earlier this week. Diller died during a traffic stop on Monday.
“What happened is a very sad, sad event, and it's very scary. And it happens too often, and we're not going to let it go. It's impossible,” President Trump said outside the vigil. he told reporters.
Furthermore, he added: We have to go back to law and order and we have to do a lot of things differently because this is not working. ”
The former president's campaign hopes to surpass Biden's record next month. The April 6 event, which is expected to be attended by some of the Republican's biggest donors, is expected to raise at least $33 million, sources said.
The three Democratic presidents spoke with late-night TV host Stephen Colbert. Ticket prices for the fundraiser range from $225 to $500,000, with top-paying guests receiving perks such as having their picture taken with the three presidents by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz. .
More than 5,000 donors were expected to attend the event, including celebrities such as Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, and Lea Michele.
While Thursday night's main event was limited to big-ticket donors, the campaign also hosted what it called a separate “pre-program” for grassroots donors, moderated by campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez. Mr. Biden, Mr. Obama, and Mr. Clinton also appeared.
That star power seems to have paid off. The Biden campaign announced ahead of this fundraiser that it had raised more than $25 million, making it the most successful single political fundraiser to date in terms of amount raised. But sources familiar with the fundraising effort told CNN that about a third of the $25 million raised came from small grassroots donations of $200 or less made online.
Supporters who donated $25 were invited to participate in a “Virtual Advance Program for Grassroots Supporters” featuring three presidents.
Mr. Clinton and Mr. Obama ended Thursday night's fundraiser by giving their best impressions of Biden, according to reporters present. This included two former presidents and Colbert, who wore aviator suits.
At the time of the incident, Biden joked that he was “a guy who loves two things: Ray-Ban sunglasses and ice cream,” according to reporters. “By the way, Dirk Brandon is real,” Biden said as the event drew to a close.
The fundraiser is expected to be just the beginning of President Obama's involvement with the Biden campaign. The former president visited the White House last week to record a conversation with Biden that is expected to unfold steadily in the coming weeks.
He is expected to play a larger role in the Biden campaign near November, including visits to college campuses and key battleground states.
This article has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny, Samantha Woldenberg, Brian Locks, Kristen Holmes and Fredreka Shorten contributed to this report.
