President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Los Angeles on Saturday as part of a fundraising campaign for Biden 2024.
The star-studded fundraising event will be held at the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, and celebrity supporters George Clooney and Julia Roberts are expected to attend, as well as former President Barack Obama.
Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is scheduled to moderate a debate between Biden and Obama at the event, similar to a Biden campaign fundraiser in New York City in March where talk show host Stephen Colbert moderated a debate between Biden, Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
According to various reports, tickets for the exclusive gathering start at $250 and can go up to $500,000 including front row seats, photo opportunities, and the after-party.
The fundraiser could be Biden’s last major event in the South before the November election, a key one for an incumbent president beset by ongoing consumer complaints about inflation, food and gasoline prices and growing divisions over the U.S.’s position in Israel’s war with Hamas.
The California Republican Party slammed the pricey fundraiser. “There’s no better way to tell struggling Americans that we understand your plight and are here to help than an all-night romp with George Clooney, Julia Roberts and other Hollywood celebrities,” California Republican Party Chair Jessica Milan Patterson said in a statement.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was in the South last week to raise funds. He spoke at a fundraiser in Newport Beach, where tickets for a luncheon and reception cost $3,300 and $100,000 for a spot on the hosting committee. Prices for a photo with Trump started at $35,000.
Trump also attended fundraisers in Beverly Hills, where tickets ranged from $5,000 to $250,000.
Julie Sharp
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