De facto Democratic nominee Joe Biden to hold virtual fundraiser with Billy Porter, Kristin Chenoweth and eye-watering minimum donations
Joe Biden holds a virtual campaign event on March 13, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty)
Joe Biden is holding a star-studded ‘virtual’ fundraiser in the Los Angeles LGBT+ community, with minimum donations of $1,000.
The event on April 23 will feature performances from TV, Broadway and music stars, including Billy Porter, Kristin Chenoweth and Melissa Etheridge. The tennis champion Billie Jean King is also booked as a “special guest.”
“In light of the situation with COVID-19, please join Vice President Joe Biden for this virtual event,” says the invite, which calls it a “fabulous evening” with the presumptive Democratic nominee.
It will reportedly be modelled on a recent Rosie O’Donnell livestream fundraiser for The Actors Fund, which featured a series of performances and interviews with celebrities.
“Guests” at the event will donate $1,000, while sponsors will give $2,800 and “champions” will donate $5,600. Co-hosts must commit raising a staggering $20,000 for the campaign.
Like many of the Democratic candidates in the race, Biden has detailed an extensive platform of policies for the LGBT+ community, and has pledged to use his executive power to “immediately reverse the discriminatory actions” of the Trump administration if he takes office in November.
Although he didn’t garner as much Hollywood support as his former rival Bernie Sanders, plenty of performers have said they’ll back him in November, including Cher, director Rob Reiner, Alec Baldwin, Barbra Streisand and Tom Hanks.
The celebrity filled fundraiser is just one of several digital events organised as part of the White House hopeful’s campaign.
He began holding virtual fundraisers via Zoom on March 20, just as the pandemic took hold in the US. He’s since dialled in to several other events, including one fundraiser with Senator Kamala Harris, who recently endorsed Biden.
According to The Hill, Biden is also planning to host a “virtual fireside chat” from his home in Wilmington next week, as well as two other online fundraisers this month.
