Several waves of protesters disrupted President Biden’s grandiose fundraiser Thursday at Radio City Music Hall, where he kicked it with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton to raise cash and enthusiasm for his 2024 re-election bid.
One demonstrator, a woman blowing a whistle, holding a “War pig” sign and warning of “nuclear war with Russia,” was removed from the lavish New York City event, dubbed a “grassroots fundraiser” by the 81-year-old president.
The first interruption was quickly followed by booing and whistling and two other waves of protests related to Biden’s support for Israel’s war against Hamas.
“Shame on you, Joe Biden,” one of the anti-Israel demonstrators shouted.
Multiple people yelled, “Blood on your hands.”
The president asked that the demonstrators being ushered out by security be “let go.”
It did not appear as if they were allowed to stay.
“No, listen. You can’t talk all the time. Sometimes you have to listen,” Obama said at one point, addressing the interlopers.
The armchair discussion among the three Democratic commanders-in-chief was moderated by CBS “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert.
There were six interruptions in total during the Colbert panel.
Outside the iconic venue, hundreds of anti-Israel protesters gathered ahead of the star-studded campaign fundraiser as part of a “Flood Manhattan for Gaza” demonstration.
“Free, free Palestine!” the group chanted.
Others yelled “F–k Joe Biden” and “Genocide Joe has got to go!” and many waved Palestinian flags and held signs denouncing the president and the Democratic Party as “war criminals.”
NYPD officers, who closely watched the protests behind barricades placed outside the Sixth Avenue theater, arrested at least one demonstrator for disorderly conduct by the time the event got underway, sources said.
“This is an extraordinary occasion because three presidents have come to New York — and not one of them is here to appear in court,” Colbert jested in a moment when protesters inside the theater weren’t heckling Biden.
Colbert was referring to former President Donald Trump’s numerous Manhattan court appearances since last April.
The evening’s programming began with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who introduced Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to the crowd of Democrats.
“We are here to do two things,” Schumer said, noting that the first objective is to ensure that the “chaotic, dishonest, mendacious, ineffective regime of Donald Trump” doesn’t return, and the second goal is electing Biden to a second term.
In his remarks, Schumer, 73, touted the president’s record on the environment, marriage equality and confirming “190 progressive judges.”
After a musical number by Grammy Award-winning artist Lizzo, and a bit with fashion designer Michael Kors, the night’s host, actress Mindy Kaling, took the stage and poked fun at the well-heeled donors in attendance.
“This is such a big night,” Kaling said. “It is such an honor to be in this room with so many rich people.”
“People are paying up to $500,000 to be here tonight,” she added. “For that kind of money at an RNC fundraiser, you get to be secretary of state.”
First son Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden clan were among the more than 5,000 people expected to attend the event, which the campaign said bolstered the president’s war chest by more than $25 million.
Musical acts Queen Latifah, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele also performed at the event.
Tickets for the affair ranged from $250 to $500,000, according to Reuters, and the most generous donors received a photo op with the three presidents — snapped by Annie Leibovitz — and invitations to separate receptions with Biden, Obama and Clinton.
The fundraiser was organized by Biden campaign co-chairman and Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
“The numbers don’t lie: Today’s event is a massive show of force and a true reflection of the momentum to re-elect the Biden-Harris ticket,” Katzenberg said in a statement.
Trump, who was also in the Empire State on Thursday, attending the Long Island wake of slain NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller, used the fundraiser as fodder to shore up his own campaign coffers.
“Hundreds of deranged Hollywood liberals will be in attendance, and they will open their wallets to fund the DESTRUCTION OF OUR COUNTRY!” one of several Trump campaign fundraising emails referencing the Biden-Obama-Clinton event read.
“Together we can DROWN OUT their dirty dollars, but it all depends on how much support we get right here, right now,” the solicitation added. “Remember, my campaign isn’t powered by the Hollywood ‘elite’ writing 6-figure checks – IT’S POWERED BY YOU!”
Biden has a significant financial advantage over Trump, 77, despite recent polls showing that the former president is leading the 2024 race.
The Biden campaign reported having $155 million in cash on hand as of this month and the president has raised $53 million in a nationwide fundraising blitz over the past month.
Trump’s $36.6 million campaign stockpile pales in comparison.
