Jill Biden spoke to Democrat donors at a fundraiser in New York City Monday night where she complained that the indictment of President Trump by her husband Joe’s Justice Department has not softened Republican voters’ support for Trump in the 2024 presidential race against Joe Biden. Jill’s remark saying she found GOP support for Trump “shocking” comes after Joe declined in recent days to comment on the Trump indictment.
Trump is the resounding favorite among Republican voters and has led Joe Biden in several recent head-to-head polls.
The event in New York kicked off a three-day bi-coastal elites fundraising swing of Democrat stronghold cities: New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
The AP reported on Biden’s remarks (excerpt):
Jill Biden in her first solo outing of the 2024 campaign said Monday it was “a little shocking” that a sizeable number of Republicans are still thinking of voting for Donald Trump even after his federal indictment, a subject that her husband has tried to avoid speaking about.
She told Democratic donors that the 2024 election presents a choice between what she described as the “strong, steady leadership” of President Joe Biden and the “chaos and corruption, hatred and division” of “MAGA Republicans.”
The first lady, speaking to a small group of Democrats in an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, said she was surprised to see a headline before her flight landed that described a majority of Republicans in a poll saying they were still planning to vote for Trump, who is set to appear in a Florida court on Tuesday.
“They don’t care about the indictment. So that’s a little shocking, I think,” she said.
…”We know what’s in store with the MAGA Republicans. We just know it, right? We know because we’ve lived it. We’ve seen it,” she said. “We know what it’s like to see U.S. policy tweeted out in late-night tweet-storms.”
Jill Biden could have been referring to this Axios article tweeted Monday afternoon, “Republican voters remain overwhelmingly loyal to Trump after his federal indictment, recent polls show.”
Axios excerpt:
Republican voters remain overwhelmingly loyal to former President Trump after he was charged with several federal crimes related to his possession of classified documents after his presidency, recent polls show.
Why it matters: Despite the charges, Trump is still the favorite for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, according to recent polling. Even some of his fellow candidates have lent support to Trump and questioned the motivation behind the indictment.
By the numbers: An ABC News/Ipsos survey published on Sunday found that 80% of polled Republicans said they believe the charges against Trump are politically motivated, while only 9% of GOP voters said they didn’t see politics in the charges.
Separately, in a CBS News/YouGov poll published on Sunday, 61% of polled Republican voters said the indictment did not change the way they viewed Trump, while 80% of Republicans said he should still be able to assume office if he’s convicted and wins the 2024 presidential election.
The CBS News/YouGov poll also found 76% of Republican voters believe the charges were motivated by politics.
CNN reported last Friday the Biden campaign plans to employ Jill as an “active fundraiser” (excerpt):
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will hit the 2024 fundraising circuit next week, marking her first solo efforts to promote her husband’s reelection campaign.
The first lady will speak at a fundraiser for the Biden Victory Fund, Biden’s joint fundraising committee, in New York City on Monday followed by a West Coast swing that includes two fundraising events in San Francisco on Tuesday and another in Los Angeles on Wednesday. She’s expected to attend more fundraisers later in the month, advisers say.
The first lady’s push with donors comes as the campaign looks to scoop up cash as the fundraising quarter, the first since President Joe Biden announced his reelection, comes to an end this month. But it also showcases how the Biden team plans to utilize the first lady in the early stages of the reelection bid, courting high-dollar donors to build up the campaign’s war chest.
“In this first phase of the campaign, she will be an active fundraiser, helping to build up the Democratic Party’s resources and infrastructure for the 2024 campaign, and reminding supporters what’s at stake in the upcoming election,” said Elizabeth Alexander, a senior adviser for the Biden campaign.
Copies of invites to the San Francisco fundraisers were posted by Puck News reporter Teddy Schleifer:
https://twitter.com/teddyschleifer/status/1666155736538152961
Joe Biden will spend three days in the Bay area next week, reported KGO-TV’s Liz Kreutz:
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is set to headline one of the Joe Biden fundraisers.
https://twitter.com/teddyschleifer/status/1668263902503743494