Obama to join Biden for first joint virtual fundraiser next week

Team Udayavani, Jun 16, 2020, 8:56 AM IST

United States: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has announced that he will be joined by his “friend” and former US president Barack Obama for the first virtual fundraiser next week. Biden’s campaign announced the reunion of Obama and his former vice president for the fundraiser will be a week from Tuesday.

In a tweet, Biden, 78, announced that his “former boss” Obama would join him next week. “Folks, I’ve got some big news: Next week, I’m getting together with my friend and former boss, President Barack Obama, for a virtual grassroots fundraiser. We would love to see you there,” Biden said on Monday.

The tweet came hours after the former vice president announced to have raised USD 80.8 millions in the month of May for his campaign war chest. “I’m proud to announce that last month – with your support – and the support of so many others – we raised USD 80.8 million, with an average online donation of USD 30 to our campaign,” Biden said in an email to his supporters.

“These last few weeks have shown that we are a nation furious at injustice. We feel it in our bones; we see it in our streets. On top of that, COVID-19 is still a threat. We’ve crossed the mark of over 115,000 deaths – 115,000 people whose lives were cut down too soon,” he said. The event plans to target tens of thousands of small-dollar donors.

In a fundraising email to the campaign, Obama described this as the most important election of the lifetime. “The most important election of our lifetimes is just around the corner. In November, we have the chance to rebuild our economy so that it works for everyone. We have the chance to cover everybody with health insurance,” Obama said.

The former president officially endorsed Biden in April after Senator Bernie Sanders, Biden’s last serious competitor, dropped out and threw his support behind the former Delaware senator. “We have the chance to declare that no matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love – all of us are equal and each of us should have the chance to make of our lives what we will,” Obama said.

“This is a critical moment in our history – and we need Americans of all backgrounds and political stripes to join together and fight to create a more just, more generous, more democratic America where everybody has a fair shot at opportunity,” he said. Meanwhile, Biden Victory Fund held a virtual fundraiser with Biden hosted by Senator Elizabeth Warren, Paul Egerman, a retired software entrepreneur, and Shanti Fry, a board member for the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

The fundraiser hosted by Warren was sold out, and brought in USD 6 million, the most successful fundraiser the Biden Victory Fund has ever had. In his remarks, Biden addressed systemic racism facing the country and asserted that a disproportionate number of black and brown communities were dying from coronavirus.

Biden went on to criticise President Donald Trump’s role in rolling back civil rights protections, calling him out by name, and his contribution to the country’s current economic state.