Gossip
exclusive
Joe Biden’s star-studded Hamptons fundraisers to feature ‘concerned’ donors after disastrous debate
Joe Biden is going to have to sing for his supper this weekend as he attends two fundraisers in the Hamptons following a disastrous performance at Thursday’s debate.
“A fundraiser would normally see people go to cheer him on,” says a source. “But at these events people are going to take his pulse and do a blood pressure check.”
A source added that the donors won’t stay home. Plus they can’t get their money back — there are no refunds, we hear. Said a source, “The money’s in.”
“The specter of Donald Trump winning is a unifying force for Democrats,” says the source. “Are donors attending events this weekend or jumping ship and staying home? No, they know what is at stake.”
After appearing at the Stonewall Inn on Friday to mark the 55th anniversary of the riots, Biden will head east to rub elbows with big money donors at an event thrown by billionaire hedge funder Barry Rosenstein and his wife Lizanne — along with co-hosts including Broadway producer Stacey Mindich and Eric Mindich, Nicole and Michael Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, and Michael J. Fox, according to a report.
There is also an event being thrown by Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner and mega-donor Avram Glazer and his wife, Jill, where we hear tickets went for $100,000 a pop.
We’re told Biden is going to have to focus on reassuring people.
“Biden has to show he is resetting the campaign,” a source says. “He’s the only game in town. He is the nominee. Donors are upset and concerned, but there is no plan B. He needs to give them a great sense of confidence. People are going to [the events] to make sure Biden is engaged, energized and mobilized.”
On Thursday, Twitter was awash with devoted Democrats showing concern over a debate performance that saw Biden discombobulated. Countless pundits and headlines have expressed disappointment with many calling for him to step down.
The New York Times editorial board wrote, “To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race.”
“Biden needs to step aside — for the sake of his own dignity, for the good of his party, for the future of the country” said the Atlantic, while Politico posted the headline: “The Movement to Convince Biden to Not Run Is Real.”
CNN’s Van Jones looked pained as he conceded, “We’re still far from our convention and there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward.”
According to the Daily Beast, Biden’s spokespeople are working overtime texting multiple reporters, “Of course he’s not dropping out.”
Our source tells us, that right now, any talk of Biden resigning is just playing “Fantasy baseball,” with everyone throwing out their picks if he does choose not to run.
We’re told names like Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigeg, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are being bandied about behind the scenes.
But we are told, “It’s important to do a reality check.”
