David Letterman to headline Biden fundraiser with Hawaii governor

HONOLULU (AP) — David Letterman will headline a fundraiser with President Joe Biden in 10 days along with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a sign that his campaign is moving forward despite continued calls for the president to withdraw from the 2024 race.

The July 29 fundraiser will be held at a family friend’s home in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, Green told The Associated Press on Friday. It will feature the longtime late-night talk show host, as well as Biden and first lady Jill Biden. The campaign is planning at least 10 other fundraising events in the last 10 days of July.

Letterman hosted CBS’s “Late Show” for 22 seasons. The move comes as other celebrities including George Clooney, filmmaker Rob Reiner and Stephen King have called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race after his disastrous performance in the June 27 debate. Concerns are also growing about continued financial support after concerned donors have expressed serious concerns about his performance and the future of the party.

Biden has said he is the best candidate to beat Donald Trump and that he has no plans to back down. On Friday, Biden, who is recovering from COVID-19 at his Rehoboth Beach home, called for party unity and sought to refocus attention on Donald Trump’s agenda.

He said he looked forward to returning to the campaign trail next week to challenge the Republican’s claims, “while defending my own record and the vision I have for America: a vision in which we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for all.”

“The stakes are high and the choice is clear,” he said. “Together we will prevail.”

Green is organizing the event as a growing number of lawmakers have expressed doubts about Biden’s candidacy. A person familiar with the plans initially told the AP that the fundraiser would be held at Green’s home, but Green later clarified that it was owned by a family friend. Green has known the Biden family for years — his wife’s uncle was Biden’s college roommate — and he said the decision on whether to drop out of the race should come from Biden himself.

Green told the AP: “We support the president, the vice president and the Democratic Party, through good times and bad, because he has been there for us as a family and for our state.”

Green has been governor of Hawaii since 2022, steering the state through last summer’s devastating wildfires.