President Joe Biden speaks at the 115th NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Biden is aiming to showcase his administration's support for Black voters. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
WASHINGTON (AP) – David Letterman will headline a fundraiser with President Joe Biden in 10 days at the home of Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press, a sign that his campaign is forging ahead despite continued calls for the president to bow out of the 2024 race.
The fundraiser on July 29 will feature the longtime late-night host, plus Biden and first lady Jill Biden, said the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that had not yet been made public. The campaign has at least 10 other fundraising events over the last 10 days of July.
Letterman helmed CBS’ “Late Show” for 22 seasons. The event comes as other celebrities like George Clooney, director Rob Reiner and Stephen King have called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, following his disastrous debate performance on June 27. There’s also been growing concern over continued fundraising support after anxious donors expressed serious worries about his performance and the future of the party.
Biden insists he is the best person to beat Donald Trump and is not stepping away. On Friday, Biden, who is recovering from COVID-19 at his Rehoboth Beach home, called for party unity and sought to shift the focus back to Donald Trump’s agenda.
He said he was looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to challenge the Republican’s claims, “while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America: one where we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for everyone.”
“The stakes are high, and the choice is clear,” he said. “Together, we will win.”
Green is hosting the event as a growing number of lawmakers have expressed doubts over Biden’s candidacy. Green has known the Biden family for years – his wife’s uncle was Biden’s college roommate – and he told the AP in an interview the decision whether or not to leave the race has to come from Biden himself.
“I think the president stays in this race unless he feels that it is not winnable, or he feels that he has to hear other voices in his inner circle that he shouldn’t run,” Green said. “If the president felt that he wasn’t up to it and truly not up to it, he would step down.”
Green has been governor of Hawaii since 2022, managing the state through the devastating wildfires last summer.
