The VERY rich and powerful friends Joe will tap as Katzenberg named campaign co-chair
President Joe Biden signaled that he intends to pressure a group of wealthy and influential donors by appointing Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg to a team of “co-chairs” of the campaign.
Biden relied in part on a record $1 billion in fundraising to pry battlefield states away from Donald Trump in 2020. With Biden renewing his fight for the “soul of the nation,” the cost of staying in office could mount even higher.
And from the signs of his campaign launch β shot on glossy video with high-speed shots and symbolic appearances from friends and foes β he plans to rely on TV and advertising in what could be a rematch against Trump in 2024.
Katzenberg is a top Biden bundler who shocked the Clintons when he made a legendary leap to support Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. He then went on to side with Clinton in her failed 2016 run, then called his wealthy contacts for large donations to Biden’s run during the covid-influenced 2020 race.
President Joe Biden launched his 2024 presidential campaign with a video β a signal that his battle against the Republicans will be fought over the airwaves and digital terrain
The famous Hollywood Obama event, co-hosted with his wife Marilyn, helped empower the new senator with the power of the stars, and included cohosts George Lucas and his wife Melody Hobson, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, and Haim and Cheryl Saban. Saban is now a top Biden bundler himself.
Katzenberg, co-founded DreamWorks SKG and served as top executive of Disney Co. He also helped found failed short-form streaming startup Quibi, which collapsed six months after going live, after the startup raised $1.75 billion from investors.
The phone-based streaming site raised $1.75 billion and then quickly collapsed.
He was among Biden’s top ten bundlers in 2020 and helped raise more than $15 million for his campaign efforts.
last fall, Katzenberg said chance Trump was almost certain to be the Republican nominee β he estimated it at β99.9%β β and said Biden would run again.
Hollywood exec Jeffrey Katzenberg is the only identified fundraiser in a new group of Biden 2024 campaign co-chairs
Biden is running on his experience and legislative accomplishments β along with attacks on MAGA and references to January 6
Katzenberg famously supported Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign
Katzenberg, seen here in 2013 alongside Hillary Clinton in 2013 in Beverly Hills, became a top Biden bundler in 2020
Democratic presidential nominee Tom Steyer also helped Biden with his 2020 campaign money
Tech entrepreneur Bill Neville and his wife Connie hosted the Bidens during their St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands getaway
He is the sole fundraiser among co-chairs, the rest of whom are politicians: Representative Lisa Blunt-Rochester of Delaware, Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Representative. Veronica Escobar of Texas and Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
Biden already has an existing fundraising network β one of the reasons fellow Democrats stayed away from the race, despite polls showing Biden’s low popularity nationally amid concerns about his age.
Among the former bundlers he’s sure to tap into are former presidential candidate and environmentalist Tom Steyer, who was Bien’s top bundler in 2020.
Saban, another West Coast Biden sponsor, helped raise $40 million, he said Open secrets.
Biden disclosed the names, but not the totals, of his more than 800 top bundlers who raised more than $100,000, though the Federal Election Commission requires disclosure of those who are registered lobbyists.
Biden has built on his network as president, as it became clear that he would likely rejoin. Eagles minority owner Mike Michelson hosted a fundraiser attended by first lady Jill Biden on his posh Arizona pad.
Tech entrepreneur Bill Neville and his wife Connie hosted the Bidens during their St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands getaway. Biden then invited them to a state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron on December 1 among 338 guests last year.
The guest list for that dinner also included Centerview Partners founder Blair Effron and Ms. Cheryl Effron, Evercore co-founder Roger Altman and Alexander Soros, the son of billionaire financier George Soros.
His other past bundlers have included former Secretary of Commerce Penny Prtizker (a top Obama sponsor), Democratic fundraiser Susie Tompkins Buell, and hedge financier Orin Kramer.