Hollywood stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand were among the US celebrities who on Saturday evening participated in a fundraising gala for President Joe Biden. They raised more money than ever before.
So far, the event has collected 28 million dollars, approximately 280 million Swedish kronor. This is more than any single fundraising event for a Democratic presidential candidate previously.
And Biden needs every dollar he can get. Right now, former President Donald Trump has a narrow lead in the opinion polls ahead of the autumn presidential election, which is shaping up to be a real nail-biter. Trump is also leading in all the crucial swing states.
The gala was held at the "Peacock Theatre" in Los Angeles, with a seating capacity of over 7,000. Even former President Barack Obama, whom Biden was vice-president to, participated. The old duo was interviewed by the host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
During the occasionally humorous interview, they warned of a US with Trump as president and stressed that the election was more important than ever.
Despite the Democratic record, it is not even close to what Trump collected at an event in April in Florida at billionaire John Paulson's: over 50 million dollars.
