WASHINGTON — David Letterman will headline a fundraiser event with President Joe Biden at the home of Hawaii Gov. Josh Green in 10 days, a person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press, a sign that his campaign is moving forward despite persistent calls for the president to drop out of the 2024 race.
The July 29 fundraiser will feature longtime late-night host Biden and first lady Jill Biden, said the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not yet been made public. The campaign has at least 10 other fundraising events scheduled in the last 10 days of July.
Letterman directed CBS’s “Late Show” for 22 seasons. The event comes at a time when other celebrities such as George Clooney, director Rob Reiner and Stephen King have called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race after his poor performance in the June 27 debate. Concerns are also growing over his continued fundraising support after worried donors expressed serious concerns about his performance and the future of the party.
Biden insisted he is the best person to defeat Donald Trump and is not backing down. On Friday, Biden, who is recovering from COVID-19 at his Rehoboth Beach home, called for party unity and tried to shift the focus back to Donald Trump’s agenda.
He said he is looking forward to hitting the campaign trail again next week to challenge Republicans’ claims, “while also laying out my own record and my vision for America: where we will preserve our democracy, protect our rights and liberties, and create opportunity for all.”
“The stakes are high and the choice is clear,” he said. “Together we will win.”
Greene is hosting the event as several lawmakers have cast doubt on Biden’s candidacy. Greene has known the Biden family for years — his wife’s uncle was Biden’s college roommate — and said in an interview that the decision on whether or not to leave the race is up to Biden himself.
“I think the president should stay in this race until he feels like it’s not winnable, or he feels like he’s hearing from people close to him that he shouldn’t be running,” Greene said. “If the president feels like he’s not qualified for this and truly not qualified for this, then he should step down.”
Greene has been Hawaii’s governor since 2022, and managed the state during last summer’s devastating wildfires.
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