President Joe Biden will raise $25 million in a one-day New York fundraising bonanza, flexing his political and organizational muscles in the face of Donald Trump.

Biden is raising money Thursday with Barack Obama and Bill Clinton from more than 5,000 supporters at Radio City Music Hall, a unique gathering designed to expand his already-large cash lead over the Republican candidate. It’s also a political power move as Biden looks to motivate Democrats to look past doubts about his age and leadership and hand him a second term.

“The numbers don’t lie: today’s event is a massive show of force and a true reflection of the momentum to reelect the Biden-Harris ticket,” said Biden campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Appearing with two former presidents allows Biden to show a level of party unity and institutional backing that Trump lacks.

Trump consolidated power within the Republican Party as he steamrolled through the primary to clinch the presidential nomination. But he is estranged from other GOP bigwigs who could help him win voters outside his core group of loyalists.

Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, declined to endorse him as did final primary opponent Nikki Haley. Former President George W. Bush and Trump have long been at odds. While they have privately disagreed at times, Obama has stumped for his former vice president’s campaigns. Biden and Clinton have been close for years.

As Democratic Party pillars, Clinton and Obama can help “reach audiences that Joe Biden hasn’t necessarily reached,” said Christina Greer, a Fordham University political science professor.

Biden still trails Trump 47% to 43% among voters in seven swing states, according to a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll. The president closed the gap in several states over the last month, as he barnstormed every 2024 battleground while his cash-strapped opponent has largely stayed off the trail. Trump is hosting his first rally in weeks on Tuesday in Wisconsin.

Star Power

Biden is staging his splashiest fundraiser yet in Trump’s hometown, another symbolic rebuke of the former president.

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