Meanwhile, President Biden’s expected challenger come November, former President Donald Trump, paid his respects to fallen NYPD officer Jonathan Diller.
As the sun set on New York City, the iconic neon of Radio City Music Hall shone down onto a loud pro-Palestinian protest, barricades, scores of police, and a row of dump trucks separating them from the entrance.
“Genocide Joe has got to go,” they screamed, flying Palestinian flags. They were also calling President Joe Biden a war criminal.
Inside, a reportedly record-setting presidential fundraiser was getting underway.
President Biden made it inside the theatre before the crowd showed up with his wife, Jill, and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, several celebrities and musical guests were also present, as well as around 5,000 donors.
Hundreds of protestors continued to gather and chant outside into the night. Some made it inside and made their presence known when the three presidents took the stage for a Q&A panel led by “Late Night” host Stephen Colbert.
The Gaza protestors, as they were identified in a White House pool report, were yelling “blood on your hands” and were interrupting the three presidents as they attempted to make their remarks on Gaza.
One in particular was shouting “obscenities” and yelling about a nuclear war with Russia.
She started screaming just as President Biden was talking about the events of Jan. 6.
“We had no president on January the sixth,” he said. “There was an insurrection. That happened.”
“No, no, listen,” he said. “You can’t just talk and not listen… That’s what the other side does. And it is possible for us to understand that it is possible to have moral clarity and have deeply held beliefs, but still recognize that the world is complicated and it is hard to solve these problems.”
Despite the protests, President Biden defended a two-state solution, admitting that “Israel is in a position where its very existence is at stake” and that its people were “massacred.”
His predecessors were quick to defend his statement.
“I think people understandably oftentimes want to feel a certain surety in terms of how those decisions are made,” said President Obama.
“But a president doesn’t have that luxury. And so when you look at a situation like we’re seeing in Gaza and in Israel, and your heart breaks, initially, for a massacre of unbelievable cruelty. It is also possible for us to say we unequivocally support the people of Israel and their ability to live and raise families and so forth.”
President Clinton added some remarks on the matter.
“We lived this, and you should trust them to work for it,” said President Clinton. “To work to ease the suffering of the totally innocent Palestinian citizens and not to allow Israel’s security to be lost over a bitter difference between the legitimacy of the Palestinians’ to statehood, which we agree with all three of us.”
The night was started by First Lady Jill Biden and included musical performances by Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, and Lea Michele.
It was hosted by Mindy Kaling who joked that it was nice to be in a room with “so many rich people” who were supporting a president who was “openly” promising to raise their taxes, according to a pool report. She also said that her kids were her reason for backing the president.
She took the stage after Lizzo performed her hit song “About Damn Time” and remarks given by Mr. Jeffries, Mr. Schumer.
The three presidents also took turns taking shots at Former President Donald Trump, crediting their party with better job growth before the Trump presidency, setting into motion the progress felt during that presidency and the job growth seen afterward.
“President Trump, let’s be honest, had a pretty good couple of years because he stole from Barack Obama,” said President Clinton.
The night concluded just before 10 p.m. with Mr. Colbert, President Obama, and President Clinton donning Aviators in impersonation of President Biden, who joked that he “loves two things: Ray Ban sunglasses and ice cream.”
“By the way, Dark Brandon is real,” he added.
Trump Honors NYPD Officer
The event reportedly raised $25 million for President Biden’s re-election campaign, with tickets costing $225 and extra experience costing additional donations, such as a $100,000 photo op with the three Democratic Presidents, a $250,000 entry fee to one reception, and access to a more exclusive gathering costing $500,000.
Assuming the attendants were the only ones making donations, that total would represent an equal spending spread of $5,000 per person.
A live stream was reportedly available for $25.
President Biden’s expected challenger come November, former President Donald Trump, was also in The Big Apple that day to pay his respects to fallen NYPD officer Jonathan Diller. He attended the wake at 2 p.m. EDT in Massapequa Park, New York.
“President Trump will be honoring the life and legacy of Officer Diller and paying respects to his family, friends, and the NYPD for their terrible loss,” said Steven Cheung, the Trump Campaign’s communications director. “Meanwhile, the Three Stooges—Biden, Obama, and Clinton—will be at a glitzy fundraiser in the city with their elitist, out-of-touch celebrity benefactors.”
President Biden chose not to visit the fallen officer’s wake, which was held on Long Island, less than 40 miles away from Radio City.
When asked if the president had spoken to Mr. Diller’s family, White House Press Secretary Karine Jeane-Pierre said, “I don’t have any private communications to share at this time.”
“Our hearts go out, obviously, to the officer’s family and the broader NYPD family, who have tragically lost one of their own,” she said. “The president grieves for them and honors their sacrifice.
“Look, the president has stood with law enforcement his entire career and continues to stand with them as they put their lives on the line for their communities. Under his leadership, we will continue to support police officers and ensure that they have resources.”
Emel Akan, Naveen Athrappully, and Jacob Burg contributed to this report.
