President Joe Biden landed in Los Angeles today as part of a three-day visit for campaign fundraising, the White House announced.
Biden met with Israeli-American businessman Haim Saban at his L.A. residence on Tuesday afternoon alongside sports management executive Casey Wasserman.
Tickets for the event were available via invite between $3,300 to $250,000, with the option of a photo with the president for roughly $25,000, according to Deadline. The donations will end up in the Biden Victory Fund, a combined fundraising campaign effort run by Biden for President, the Democratic National Committee and the state Democratic parties of all 50 states.
Confirmed attendees include Eric Baker, co-founder of ticketing application StubHub, and John Emerson, former U.S. ambassador to Germany, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Biden is making rounds to blue states like California to acquire funding for campaigns in more competitive states. The trip will grant him publicity and financial support, according to Kamy Akhavan, Executive Director of the USC Center for the Political Future.
“Just by showing at a celebrity’s house, Biden will automatically appear in the newspapers. He wants those headlines,” said Akhavan. “It’s a way to earn media without having to buy it.”
Saban and his wife hosted a fundraising event for President Biden in 2022 for the DNC’s Grassroots Victory Fund. The couple also hosted an event for Biden in September 2020 during his inaugural presidential campaign.
Biden’s campaign committee announced that about 400,000 donors donated about $42 million in campaign funds for the POTUS’ re-election bid in January.
“Generally, the candidate with the most cash wins, so he needs a lot of it,” said Akhavan.
The re-election bid raised around $130 million in cash by the end of January, according to the DNC. Officials said this is the highest amassed total by a Democratic candidate at this stage of a single campaign.
The leading Republican candidate, Donald Trump, has not released official fundraising numbers, but Akhavan says Trump and other Republican candidates are also seeking significant fundraising ahead of the November election.
“For Californians who are Republicans, this can be a frustrating state to live in because they know they can’t make big political impact unless they send their money out of state,” said Akhavan. “[Republican candidates] have a very motivated minority of our electorate who wants to influence national politics but can’t because of where they live.”
Trump announced a brand new shoe line on Saturday aimed at raising money and elevating publicity for his campaign. He unveiled the $400 “Never Surrender” golden sneakers at SneakerCon, which flaunt an American flag on the heel and a bold “T” engraved in gold leather.
“We have seen this movie before, Biden vs. Trump,” Akhavan said. “Now here we are for the sequel, and we’re all wondering what’s going to be different.”
With historically low approval ratings for both Trump and Biden, Akhavan says the U.S. is looking at a battle between two least-favorite candidates.
The POTUS is scheduled to address the public at an event in Culver City Wednesday. The rest of the fundraising campaign will extend out to San Francisco and Los Altos Hills after Biden’s Southern California visit.