Biden meets with top donors as campaign courts deep-pocketed Democrats

Some of the biggest Democratic donors gathered in Washington on Friday night for a rare opportunity: face time with President Joe Biden.

The event, hosted by the Democratic National Committee, offered the Biden campaign a chance to show the president in action as Democrats eye a long race and court the deep-pocketed donors who’ll be needed to power it.

Meeting with more than 150 donors at the Salamander Hotel, Biden and first lady Jill Biden took pictures and chatted with supporters during a cocktail hour alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff. Attendees later dined on roasted beetroot salad, prime New York striploin with tiger shrimp and orange mousse cake.

“There was kind of confidence in the air” among the Democrats “that I’m not sure you saw in 2020,” said a source in attendance who described Harris as being in a good mood — there was “a hop in her step.”

Biden, who spent about two hours at the event, thanked his audience for their past contributions and emphasized the stakes for 2024 as he prepares for a potential rematch against former President Donald Trump.

“You raised significant amounts of money to allow us to compete” in 2020 and helped beat back the “red wave” in 2022, he said.

“We’re going to do it again in 2024 together,” Biden said. “We carry a heavy responsibility but also we have an extraordinary opportunity, an extraordinary opportunity to build a future we want for our children and our grandchildren — and extraordinary opportunity to meet the commitment I made in 2020. And we will restore the soul of this nation.”

His remarks appeared to resonate with the wealthy crowd, who gave him a standing ovation.

Alan Kessler, a longtime Democratic fundraiser from Philadelphia who attended Biden’s speech, told NBC News: “People were happy tonight. They were happy that the president finally announced, and now we get on with business.”

Asked if he believed Biden would raise sufficient runs for his re-election bid, Kessler said: “There’s nothing better for good fundraising than having Donald Trump on the other side.”

While Biden did not mention Trump by name during the event Friday, he did call “those MAGA Republicans” a “real problem.”

“This is not your father’s Republican Party,” he said. “But in a bizarre way, all we got to do is point out, in many cases, comparison with what these guys want to do. Look what they just introduced, what they just passed in the House.”

The president has billed 2024 as a choice between “more rights or fewer,” warning of “MAGA extremists lining up” to cut the social safety net. Biden said he wants to finish the job for the American people and will fight for the nation at a critical juncture.

But he faces obstacles as his bid gets underway, including worries about the economy and lukewarm enthusiasm among voters.