Democratic Donors Remain Divided on Biden After Post-Debate Fundraiser
Democratic donors remain largely divided on President Joe Biden after he held a star-studded debate in the Hamptons this weekend.
Jul. 1 2024, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
Democratic donors remain largely divided on President Joe Biden after he held a star-studded debate in the Hamptons this weekend in the wake of his disastrous first debate, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a surprising development to come just days after Biden disappointed Democrats with his debate performance against Donald Trump in Atlanta on Thursday night, the 81-year-old president appeared in the Hamptons on Saturday for a campaign fundraiser.
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The 81-year-old president appeared in the Hamptons on Saturday for a campaign fundraiser.
While some millionaire and billionaire attendees described Biden’s Hamptons fundraiser speech as “strong” and “energetic,” others remained skeptical about the leader’s ability to secure – and successfully carry out – another four-year term in the Oval Office.
“Most people said they felt better, but some felt worse,” one attendee told Page Six regarding Biden’s appearance at the Hamptons fundraiser versus his performance at the debate two days earlier.
“It was like he was putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound,” the attendee added. “He did not have a ‘bad’ debate, he was visibly unwell.”
Another attendee admitted that President Biden “looked and sounded good” during the fundraiser at billionaire Barry Rosenstein’s Hamptons home on Saturday. That attendee also acknowledged that while Biden gave a “short speech,” it was a “strong” speech.
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While some attendees described President Biden’s Hamptons speech as “strong” and “energetic,” others questioned Biden’s ability to secure another term.
“The mood was good. People are concerned, but no one is backing down,” the attendee told Page Six over the weekend. “People are still very committed. They all feel that they must defeat Trump.”
“It will be incumbent on Biden and his campaign to continue to perform, and show that the debate was a fluke,” the insider added. “That’s what people want to see. Step one was today, and he did a good job.”
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Yet another attendee said that President Biden’s performance at the Hamptons fundraiser on Saturday was “nothing like the man we saw” on the debate stage in Atlanta on Thursday night.
“The debate is all anyone was talking about. The donor crowd and people in general were just concerned after Thursday night,” the attendee explained. “They didn’t know what to expect, and Biden came out looking tan and nothing like the man we saw Thursday.”
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“It was like he was putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound,” one attendee said. “He did not have a ‘bad’ debate, he was visibly unwell.”
“His mouth wasn’t gaping, he was energetic and gave a great speech,” the attendee added regarding Saturday’s campaign fundraiser. “I felt much better after watching it.”
Meanwhile, President Biden reportedly discussed his debate performance during his short speech in the Hamptons over the weekend.
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He admitted that he suffered a “bad night” on the debate stage on Thursday but also warned that it would be the “end of democracy” if Trump retakes the White House in November.
“I had a bad night, it wasn’t a great performance,” Biden told the fundraiser crowd. “We could linger and talk about a bad performance, or we could talk about the leadership of the last four years or the end of democracy with Donald Trump.”
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President Biden faced calls to end his re-election campaign in the wake of his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last week.
