They gave an insider’s view of the office as they sought to explain why Mr Biden was best for the job.
“It is a lonely seat,” Mr Obama said, who had hitched a ride to New York on Air Force One with Mr Biden.
The talk was by turns humorous and serious, ending with all three donning sunglasses in the mostly dark music hall, a nod to the trademark Ray-Ban sunglasses that Mr Biden often wears.
Donors pay top dollar for photo
The event offered donors different tiers of access depending on how much money they donated to the campaign.
Donors could give $100,000 for a photo with all three presidents, and $250,000 for access to an on-site reception. A donation of $500,000 would secure donors an invite to a more exclusive gathering. Supporters who made smaller donations were told they could dial into the event virtually for $25.
Jill Biden, the First Lady, was slated to host an after-party for donors after the main event concluded with 500 guests and D-Nice, a DJ and record producer.
“This historic raise is a show of strong enthusiasm for President Biden and Vice President Harris and a testament to the unprecedented fundraising machine we’ve built,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Biden-Harris campaign’s co–chairman.
“Unlike our opponent, every dollar we’re raising is going to reach the voters who will decide this election – communicating the president’s historic record, his vision for the future and laying plain the stakes of this election.”
Biden struggling in polls
The record-breaking fundraising haul comes as Mr Biden is struggling in national opinion polls, which show Mr Trump with a consistent lead of between one and three percentage points.
Mr Trump’s campaign has raised significantly less money than Mr Biden’s in recent months and is experiencing a cash crunch as the Republican nominee attempts to pay his legal bills from campaign funds.
But organisers of a fundraiser for Mr Trump said they expected to raise $33 million at an event next week in Palm Beach, Florida, the Financial Times reports.
The amount cannot be verified until campaign disclosure filings are published. If accurate, it would effectively double the Trump campaign’s cash on hand, although this would still be some way off Mr Biden’s election war chest.
“The response to our fundraising efforts has been overwhelming, and we’ve raised over $33mn so far,” John Paulson, the hedge fund manager hosting the event, claimed.
“There is massive support amongst a broad spectrum of donors. The dinner is relatively small in nature, and we are almost at our cap.”
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