Democratic donors, lawmakers and strategists were spooked by Biden's debate performance on Thursday, with some urging the president to consider stepping down.
 "Biden seeks reassurance for anxious donors at New York City-area fundraiser")
Joe Biden at a fundraiser (Photo: Bloomberg) Bloomberg New York City
President Joe Biden is trying to raise money from deep-pocketed donors in the New York area to rally them together for reelection following his disastrous debate defeat against Donald Trump that sowed fears among Democrats.
Events on Saturday include a fundraiser at the waterfront Hamptons home of hedge fund manager Barry Rosenstein and his wife, Lizanne, and a reception hosted by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
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Democratic donors, lawmakers and strategists were spooked by Biden's performance in Thursday's debate, with some urging the president to consider stepping down. Biden said Friday he has no plans to step down, and the fundraiser is a chance to reassure supporters of his ability to stay in the White House for another four years.
Biden's performance could hurt his fundraising ability as Republican front-runner Trump gains momentum. The Biden campaign has downplayed those concerns, saying it had raised $27 million between the day of the debate and Friday night.
Former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. employees Eric Mindich and Nicole Davison Fox, as well as actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are expected to attend the East Hampton event. Lowe's Corp. co-chairman John Tisch, Tiger 21 founder Michael Sonnenfeld and film and television producer Darren Star are also expected to attend. Participation fees start at $3,300 and can go up to $250,000.
A fundraiser for the event, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter but said the campaign had not heard of any donors pulling out, said attendees would be mainstream Democrats and likely to show affection and admiration for Biden and pay tribute to his record as president, the people said.
The Biden campaign said the period from 11 p.m. to late night after the debate with Trump was Biden's most active fundraising period since he began his reelection campaign in April 2023.
Manhattan stops
Biden told supporters at a post-debate rally in North Carolina on Friday that he was committed to winning the election in November, acknowledging his age – 81. He said he wouldn't have run if he didn't believe “I can do the job.”
That evening, Trump and first lady Jill Biden received a warm welcome and were introduced by musician Elton John at an LGBTQ+ gala in Manhattan, where tickets ranged from $250 for seats closest to the stage to $500,000.
Jill Biden acknowledged that the debate was on attendees' minds at a Greenwich Village fundraiser hosted by author Adriana Triggiani on Friday, but offered a personal statement of support for her husband.
“After the debate last night, he said, 'Jill, I don't know what happened. I didn't feel very good,' and I said, 'Look, Joe, we're not going to define your four years as president in 90 minutes,'” the first lady said.
On Saturday evening, Biden is scheduled to visit Murphy at his home in Middletown, New Jersey. Other attendees include James Atwood of the Carlyle Group, Agnes Sutton, head of the New-York Historical Society, and Andy Berndt, who runs Google's Creative Lab.
Biden also held a fundraiser at Murphy's home in 2022.
Trump's donations surged after he was found guilty in a New York trial on 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide hush money payments to adult film actresses, and he outraised Biden for a second straight month in May.
