US President Joe Biden and his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, headlined a star-studded fundraiser with former President Bill Clinton on Thursday, offering a robust defense of the White House’s handling of the Gaza crisis as protesters interrupted the event.
Biden, who traveled with Obama on Air Force One to New York, took part in a discussion with Clinton moderated by “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in front of thousands of guests. Organizers say the event raised more than $25 million for Biden’s US reelection campaign.
But the fundraiser was punctuated by several protests inside the massive auditorium, with attendees rising at several different moments to shout over the discussion, referencing Biden’s backing of Israel in the Hamas war that has killed more than 30,000 people in Gaza.
“Shame on you, Joe Biden!” one yelled.
Obama and Clinton offered a presidential perspective of the Gaza crisis that stressed the political realities of being in the White House.
A president needs to be able to support Israel at the same time as fighting for Palestinians to have more access to food, medical supplies, and a future state, they said.
“It’s a lonely seat,” Obama said. “One of the realities of the presidency is that the world has a lot of joy and beauty, but it also has a lot of tragedy and cruelty.”
People “understandably, oftentimes, want to feel a certain purity in terms of how those decisions are made,” he said. “But a president doesn’t have that luxury.”
When a protestor inside the theater interrupted Obama, the former president snapped back: “You can’t just talk and not listen…That’s what the other side does.”
The pair of former presidents also defended Biden’s handling of the economy, which got low ratings in national polls.
Clinton said Biden’s economic numbers have significantly outpaced Trump’s administration.
“I believe in keeping score,” Clinton said. “He’s been good for America” and deserves another term.
Before the event, the three leaders’ motorcade passed hundreds of protesters demonstrating against Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, another sign that some young voters and other progressives who voted for Biden in 2020 are furious about his staunch backing of Israel in its response to the October 7 Hamas attacks.
