After the G-7 summit and talks about Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, US President Joe Biden is returning to his election campaign.
He flew from the south of Italy through nine time zones with a short refueling stop near Washington to the south of California, where he plans to raise funds for his re-election campaign at an evening event with Hollywood stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Former President Barack Obama will also be attending the meeting at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday evening.
The celebrities will be interviewed by show host Jimmy Kimmel. Roberts told donors via text message ahead of the event that a “critical time” in the campaign had been reached. Kimmel spoke in favor of the event on the grounds that the likely Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, would hate her.
Even before the actual gala began, the event had already raised $28 million (€26.1 million) for Biden, his campaign team said.
The fundraising gala is a “show of power in which leading figures in the entertainment industry send a clear message,” said the president’s campaign team. All those present were “enthusiastic” supporters of Biden. Actors Jack Black and Justin Bateman were also among the expected guests.
Biden was accompanied on his arrival in Los Angeles by family members, including daughter Ashley and granddaughters Maisy and Naomi. His granddaughters had been with the US president in Italy, where the Bidens also met Pope Francis.
Because of his appearance with the stars, Biden is staying away from a summit in Switzerland that is supposed to focus on ending the Russian war in Ukraine. Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to Switzerland instead of Biden. His deputy will be a strong representative of the USA, Biden said at a joint meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G-7 summit.
Zelensky has made it clear that he does not approve of Biden’s decision not to attend. “I would like President Biden to be there in person,” Zelensky said in May. Putin will be pleased that Biden is not attending. The Russian head of state and other Russian representatives are not coming to the summit.