First-of-its-kind campaign fundraiser in the works with Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Biden

WASHINGTON
—
President
Joe
Biden’s
campaign
is
trying
to
organize
a
first-of-its-kind
fundraiser
that
officials
hope
would
be
lucrative
and
headline-grabbing,
but
also
energizing
for
Democratic
voters
who
so
far have
not
shown
enthusiasm for
the
party’s
2024
ticket,
according
to
four
people
familiar
with
the
planning. 

The
idea
is
for
three
Democratic
presidents
—
Biden,
Bill
Clinton
and
Barack
Obama
—
to
appear
together
at
a
fundraiser
this
spring,
the
four
people
familiar
with
the
discussions
said. 

Discussions
are
underway
to
coordinate
the
presidents’
schedules,
these
people
said,
though
no
date
has
been
set. The
fundraiser
would
likely
take
place
in
March
or
April,
two
of
the
sources
familiar
with
the
discussions
said. 

The
plan
underscores
the
belief
among
Biden
allies
that
the
party
needs
an
all-hands-on-deck
approach
to
help
him
win
a
second
term.
It’s
also
just
one
in
a
growing
list
of
ways
that
Democratic
leaders,
and
the
Biden
campaign,
are
gearing
up
for
a
general
election
they
view
as
having
the
highest
of
stakes.

The
Biden
campaign
did
not
respond
to
requests
for
comment.
Spokespeople
for
Clinton
and
Obama
declined
to
comment.

The
Biden
campaign
in
recent
days
shifted
into
a
general
election
posture
—
earlier
than
the
president’s
aides
anticipated.
Their
expectation
has
long
been
that
former
President
Donald
Trump
would
be
Biden’s
opponent
this
fall
after
the
Republican
primary
process
played
out.
But
that
moment
arrived
this
week,
Biden
aides
concluded,
after Trump’s
victory
in
New
Hampshire,
which
followed
his win
in
Iowa.

As
a
result,
the
campaign
is
increasing
the
pace
of
its
hiring,
particularly
in
battleground
states,
and
ramping
up
its
focus
on
voters
whose
support
it
believes
will
decide
the
November
election,
officials
said. Biden,
for
instance,
has
tailored
recent
events
to
Black
voters,
including
on
Saturday
in
South
Carolina.
Vice
President
Kamala
Harris
on
Saturday
in
Nevada
kicked
off
a
series
of
small
events
with
Latino
voters.

The
president’s
travel
schedule
—
which
has
already
picked
up
its
pace
—
will
accelerate
even
more,
so
that
he
is
out
in
the
country
a
minimum
of
two
days
a
week,
according
to
Biden
officials.

“It’s
going
to
be
very
aggressive,”
one
White
House
official
said.

The
Biden
campaign
also
is
poised
to
launch
a
multi-million-dollar
ad
campaign
aimed
at
drawing
a
contrast
with
Trump,
according
to
two
people
familiar
with
the
plans. One
of
the
sources
said
it
could
debut
around
Biden’s
State
of
the
Union
address,
which
is
scheduled
for
early
March.

An
earlier
general
election
fight
also
requires
additional
campaign
cash. 

The
overarching
goal
of
fundraiser
where
Biden,
Clinton
and
Obama
share
a
stage
is
to
raise
a
significant
amount
of
money,
two
of
the
people
familiar
with
the
discussions
said. The
expectation
is
the
event
would
bring
in
both
big
and
small
donations. 

But
the
Biden
campaign
also
hopes
the
presidential
trio
will
help
mobilize
the
party
base.

“There
is
real
focus
and
urgency
around
making
sure
we
beat
Trump,”
a
Biden
adviser
said. “Everyone
is
all
in.
And
this
kind
of
event
early
on
is
just
the
latest
demonstration
of
that.”

If
the
fundraiser
is
viewed
by
the
campaign
as
a
success,
a
second
one
could
be
organized
for
later
in
the
year,
one
of
the
people
familiar
with
the
discussions
said.

What
Democrats
see
as
a
party
show
of
force,
however,
could
be
viewed
differently
by
some
voters
who
helped
Biden
win
in
2020,
such
as
moderate
Republicans.
Clinton
and
Obama
have
been
lightning
rods
for
the
GOP,
and
Clinton
has
faced
criticism
from
some
Democrats
in
recent
years
over
the
handling
of
allegations
of
sexual
misconduct
that
were
made
against
him
in
the
1990s.

Still,
both
Clinton
and
Obama
remain
popular
among
Democrats.
And
they
are
more
popular
Democratic
leaders
than
Biden,
though
former
presidents
generally
tend
to
enjoy
higher
approval
from
Americans
than
the
current
one.  

One
potential
warning
sign
for
Biden
is
that
his
approval
rating
in
year
three
of
his
presidency
as
he
campaigns
for
reelection
is lower than
Obama’s
and
Clinton’s
at
this
same
point
in
their
presidencies. Those
numbers
highlight
the
challenge
Biden
faces
with
voters
this
November.

At
the
same
time,
the
president’s
aides
argue
that
key
economic
indicators
have
shown
recent
promising
signs
of
improvement
that
they
believe
will
benefit
the
president
in
coming
months
and
help
turn
around
his
approval
rating.
To
try
to
seize
on
that
momentum,
the
White
House
has
expanded
how
Biden
conveys
his
economic
message
by
having
him
engage
more
one-on-one
with
Americans
about
specific
issues,
including
student
loan
debt
and
running
a
small
business.

“We’ve
mixed
up
the
events
so
the
president
is
out
there
talking
to
people
individually,”
the
White
House
official
said.