Barack Obama to join Biden in virtual fundraiser, calls 2020 election the 'most important of our lifetime'
He is a little late in extending his endorsement for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. In fact, initially, former president Barack Obama doubted his former deputy’s capacity to reach out to people. But all that is history now. America's first black president is all set to join Biden in a virtual fundraiser next week for the first time ever, and it was announced by Biden himself on Monday, June 15.
The event, which will be held on June 23, will see White House's former top two leaders coming together after a long time. The occasion is significant considering that Obama is aiding the Democrats' mission to topple President Donald Trump in the November presidential election. Although the former president speaks little against his successor, recent events such as dropping charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked havoc in the US and the outbreak of riots in the country over the death of a black man in police brutality have compelled the 58-year-old to speak out more.
According to an invitation of the upcoming fundraiser obtained by Axios, the event targets tens of thousands of small-dollar donors. The invitation, which was scheduled to reach out to the supporters on Monday (June 15) evening, included an appeal from Obama to people to donate "any amount you can" for "the most important election of our lifetimes". The campaign aims to raise more money than it did during a virtual event featuring former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, who stepped down to make it easier for Biden. That event saw $1M accumulated from around 36,000 people.
In May, Biden and the Democratic National Committee raised almost $81M together — the highest amount in a single month of the 2020 cycle till now.
Obama appeals voters to back Biden
Obama has called for "Americans of all backgrounds and political stripes to join together", saying voting for Biden will see the economy being rebuilt and health coverage being expanded. The former president also said that a vote for Biden would mean that "all of us are equal and each of us should have the chance to make of our lives what we will", according to Axios.
Obama officially endorsed Biden in April after his last remaining opponent Bernie Sanders stepped down and endorsed the former VP. The campaign though hasn’t yet said how often Obama is expected to appear along with Biden in person or on his behalf.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama has also found her place not too far from the Biden campaign. Biden has said on more than occasion that he is interested to pick Michelle as his running mate even though she has categorically said that she is unwilling to join politics. But in May, she took a concrete step towards making a contribution to the 2020 election through a nonpartisan voting initiative called 'When We All Vote', which she founded ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. The initiative announced a coalition of 31 mayors across the US who will be brainstorming and sharing lessons about how to raise voter registration and civic engagement, The Washington Post reported.