President Joe Biden continues to lean on his predecessors for record fundraising, this time relying on Bill and Hillary Clinton to raise $8 million in leafy northern Virginia.
Biden once again called Donald Trump, who polls close to him in the state, a “convicted felon,” attacking his opponent.
“All I will say is that Trump has made it clear that if he wins, he will undo everything we have done. For the first time in American history, a former president is a convicted felon,” Biden told a crowd of donors. “But as disturbing as it is, more damning is the all-out assault Trump is making on our justice system.”
McAuliffe made Biden a promise that he will only have to keep if he prevails in a race in which a new poll on Tuesday tied him 49-49 with Trump. “When you win again, I offer myself right now… I’ll mow the White House lawn,” McAuliffe joked.
He also made a comment about the $30 million Hollywood fundraiser with celebrities where Biden was mocked for “freezing” as he walked off stage. “We don’t need all those movie stars, jugglers, singers and farm animals, whatever they have,” she joked.
Biden, 81, and first lady Jill Biden drove to a fundraising event Tuesday night that was revealed to be at the home of former governor and Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe.
While attacking Trump, Biden accused his rival of having “broken” in the face of the unexpected defeat.
—You know, he broke down when he lost. I say it sincerely. She can’t accept that she lost. She’s literally driving him crazy. That’s why when January 6th happened, he’s now running again,” Biden said.
Present were former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, who served as secretary of state during the Obama-Biden administration and whose failed 2016 presidential campaign came after Biden stepped aside and decided not to challenge her.
The backyard fundraiser had 450 attendees, making it the highest-grossing backyard party in Democratic Party history, according to Biden’s camp.
Biden thanked McAuliffe for supporting him when “a lot of people believed we couldn’t win” and again in this cycle, where Biden is tied with Donald Trump in the polls and some top Democrats are concerned about his performance in the polls. He called the Clintons “dear friends” and “great Americans.”
President Joe Biden raised $8 million at a fundraiser in Virginia on the day he took action that could grant citizenship to 500,000 immigrants.
“Throughout his campaign, Trump has made it clear that he is running for revenge. And now, after his criminal conviction, he is clear that he is concerned about preserving his freedom,” Biden told the crowd.
The event featured remarks from McAuliffe and other notables, and was a welcome relief for Biden from the public relations mess that followed his $30 million Hollywood fundraiser in Los Angeles with former President Obama.
Virginia is a state where Biden is virtually tied with Trump, even though it has trended Democratic in recent cycles.
In both cases, Biden relied on his younger predecessors (Obama is 62 and Clinton is 77) to help him absorb donations from major Democratic donors.
In her comments, Hillary Clinton compared herself to the Cassandra of Greek myths, although she was criticized for not campaigning in Michigan until it was too late in 2016.
“That’s how I felt in 2016, when I was raising the alarm about Donald Trump,” Clinton said.
Video of Obama removing Biden from the stage after a 30-minute interview with host Jimmy Kimmel went viral, after the former president grabbed a “frozen” Obama who was receiving applause after the event and guided him off the stage. .
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized what she called “cheap fakes” of unaltered video clips showing officials guiding the president, accusing his rivals of using technology to bring down Biden.
When asked by DailyMail.com on Monday about how Biden and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni guided him after the events, Jean-Pierre pointed to his long relationship with Obama.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at the event
Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination in 2016 when Biden stepped aside, only to lose to Donald Trump.
Former President Barack Obama led Biden off stage after a big fundraiser in Los Angeles.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ripped down videos she called “cheap deepfakes” showing officials, including Barack Obama, leading President Biden off stage.
On Saturday, a video went viral of former President Barack Obama holding Biden’s hand and apparently leading the 81-year-old commander in chief off the stage at a fundraiser in Los Angeles.
‘Let’s not forget: President Obama and President Biden have a relationship. They are friends. They are like a family. And I think that’s what you saw,” he said, referring to the video after a $30 million fundraiser in which Biden stood still for several seconds while the audience applauded at the end of the event before Obama told him. grab his arm and pull him off the stage,’ she said.
It came a day when Biden celebrated a new executive action that could grant citizenship to 500,000 immigrants who came here illegally but married American citizens. She also took steps to bolster ‘DREAMers’ brought here illegally by their parents as children and granted special status under the Obama administration.
Biden brought top White House figures to the event, including chief of staff Jeff Zients and advisers Bruce Reed and Steve Ricchetti.