One year ago this month, attendees packed the 7,100 seats inside the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles to watch a parade of A-list celebrities — George Clooney! Julia Roberts! Barbra Streisand! — unite in a common goal: to raise more money for President Biden’s re-election campaign than had ever before been tallied for a single fundraising event. By that standard, the evening was a smashing success: Over $30 million, a record, was raised.
“How important the event was to his re-election bid could be seen,” the Associated Press reported, “in Biden’s decision to fly through the night across nine time zones, from the G7 summit in southern Italy to Southern California, to attend.”
Nothing was left to chance. Outside the Peacock, riot police ringed the Gaza protesters; inside, the biggest weapon was rolled out. Former President Barack Obama appeared onstage with his old No. 2, the pair of presidents interviewed by ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Their recurring theme: A second Donald Trump presidency would ruin America.
Obama called the current moment “a byproduct of 2016,” when, he said, “a whole bunch of folks … sat out … Hopefully, we have learned our lesson, because these elections matter.” When Roe v. Wade came up, and the audience hissed, Obama scolded them: “Don’t hiss; vote.”
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