The Biden campaign and allies raised $28 million from a high-profile celebrity fundraiser, setting a new record for the Democratic Party's largest fundraising event, the campaign announced.
The impressive total was revealed just hours before President Joe Biden appeared at the Los Angeles event at the Peacock Theater Saturday alongside former President Barack Obama, actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts, and comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
"The enthusiasm and commitment for Biden/Harris couldn't be stronger. We all understand this is the most important election of our lifetime," said campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg.
The new funds will be used to open offices, hire organizers, and launch media campaigns.
Clooney remained a key draw of the event, even though he called a White House official earlier this month to complain about Biden's response to the International Criminal Court announcement that it was seeking arrest warrants for war crimes for both Israeli Perime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas' leadership over the attack on Gaza.
Clooney's wife, Amal Clooney, an international human rights attorney, served on a panel of experts which recommended filing the arrest warrant.
Biden denounced the ICC for its "outrageous" implication that the actions by Hamas, reponsible for the death of some 1,200 Israelis in the current conflict, and Israel, which has killed some 37,000 Palestinians, were not equivalent.
As part of the bash Kimmel moderated a conversation between Biden and Obama, who touched upon a number of policy issues, and Donald Trump.
"What has happened over the last several years is that we've normalized behavior that used to be disqualifying," Obama said of Trump, referring to his recent conviction on 34 felony counts in his hush-money campaign case.
Saturday's fundraiser included performances and appearances by celebrities such as Jack Black, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jason Bateman, and Kathryn Hahn.
Barbra Streisand was also on hand to introduce First Lady Jill Biden, praising her work on education and women's health.
The Trump campaign says that it, along with supporters, has raised more than $34 million since the former president's conviction on 34 felony counts in his hush-money trial last month.
