David Letterman will headline Biden fundraiser with Hawaii governor

HONOLULU (AP) — David Letterman will headline a fundraiser with President Biden in 10 days with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D), a sign that his campaign is forging ahead despite continued calls for the president to bow out of the 2024 race.

The fundraiser on July 29 will be at the home of a family friend on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., Green told The Associated Press Friday. It will feature the longtime late-night host, plus Biden and first lady Jill Biden. The campaign has at least 10 other fundraising events over the last 10 days of July.

Letterman helmed CBS’ “Late Show” for 22 seasons. The event comes as other celebrities like George Clooney, director Rob Reiner and Stephen King have called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, following his disastrous debate performance on June 27. There’s also been growing concern over continued fundraising support after anxious donors expressed serious worries about his performance and the future of the party.

Biden insists he is the best person to beat Donald Trump and is not stepping away. On Friday, Biden, who is recovering from COVID-19 at his Rehoboth Beach home, called for party unity and sought to shift the focus back to Donald Trump’s agenda.

He said he was looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to challenge the Republican’s claims, “while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America: one where we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for everyone.”

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

Green is hosting the event as a growing number of lawmakers have expressed doubts over Biden’s candidacy. A person familiar with the plans initially told the AP the fundraiser would be at Green’s home, but Green later clarified that it belonged to 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 whether or not to leave the race has to come from Biden himself.

The Hawaii governor told the AP, “We support the President, the V.P. and the Democratic Party, in good and tough times because he has been there for us as a family and a state.”

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