Colbert asks Biden about not having a Trump International Golf Club trophy. Hear his response

President Joe Biden’s campaign released a video from his star-studded fundraiser event at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, highlighting a light-hearted moment between the president and TV host Stephen Colbert. #CNN #News

This morning. Big money, energy. Didn’t know that was a thing. That is what Democrats are putting off after a blockbuster event overnight. We’re getting a look at pictures from inside the event that raised 26 million, though it was a closed events. We’re only getting still pictures and reporting from insiders

About what actually happened. CNN’s Arlette Sides live at the White House. Luckily, we have you to tell us what went on because, of course, we don’t have moving video from close fundraisers Yeah, yeah. John and President Biden’s advisers are really hoping that this show of force from Democratic presidents last night

Will help build momentum as this election is kicking in to high gear. The campaign touting the fact that they raised more than $26 million from this one night event alone and they’re hoping that this will add to the cash advantage that they currently have over former President Donald Trump

As they’re gearing up for that November fight. Now, President Biden and President Obama and President Bill Clinton, I spent about an hour with late night host Stephen Colbert really laying out the stakes of this election, trying to warn of the threat that Trump poses to the country. They never named Trump by name,

According to the reporters who were there in the room, but they did issue very stark warning President Biden saying that democracy is at stake and pointed to the January six insurrection, saying that there was no president in the United States that day. As Trump sat here at the White House as that unfolded.

The president also said in his remarks, quote, We’re at a real inflection point in history. This guy’s denies global warming. This guy wants to get rid of not only Roe v Wade, which he bragged about having done. He wants to get rid of the ability of anyone in America

To have the right to choose all the things he’s doing. There are so old, a little old and out of shape. And the campaign also has provided a video from last night. Reporters who were in the room were not allowed to record any video from this event.

But the campaign is trying to highlight a bit of a lighter moment between President Biden and Colbert. Take a listen. Again on Milwaukee, Phenix, Vegas, Hotlanta, the Philly suburbs, Manchester, Dallas and Houston. Donald Trump, as far as we can tell, has just been trying to win a third championship

At his own golf course. My question to you, sir, can voters trust a presidential candidate who has not won in a single Trump International Golf Club trophy? At long last, sir. Have you no chip shot? Well, look, I’d be happy to play. I told him once before when he came into the oval,

When he was being before he got sworn in, I said, I’ll give you three strokes if he carries your own bag. But jokes aside, the fundraiser also laid bare some of the frustration within the Democratic Party. Over the president’s handling of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters

Gathered outside of Radio City Hall before and during the events, and the presidents were actually interrupted several times from protesters in the hall itself, some mostly protesting the war in Gaza, but also one relating to Russia. And it was notable that President Obama took a moment to address

Those protesters as well as Biden did. And Obama said that they need to not just talk. But also listen, he said that just talking to something that the other side does and it really highlights the fact that this is an issue that the Democratic Party will continue to grapple

With heading into November’s election. Now, the president is continuing his push in New York City today. He’s expected to meet with top donors at a spring retreat of the Biden National Finance Committee. Senior campaign officials, I’m told, will also be briefing top donors on their strategy as they’re really trying to have

This all hands on deck. Moments as they’re preparing for that face off against Trump in November. Or that signs at the White House, I have to say, the old an out of shape line. And the joke about Donald Trump carrying his own bags. I hadn’t heard those before, actually.

And that’s an interesting twist, pivot for President Biden to try to turn the issue of literal fitness into a campaign issue for Donald. That’s what you call a burn. I think that’s the word I was looking for. The kids say. And guess what? There’s a bit of a response here. Donald Trump’s

Campaign is confident, they say, that they can surpass Biden’s $26 million haul. Sources saying the Trump campaign hopes to raise $33 million at a fund raiser next week. What is unclear this morning whether or not former first lady Melania Trump will be there. She’s pretty much been largely absent from the campaign trail.

That may soon change. Kristen Holmes is joining us now. What can you tell us about this April six fundraiser? Yes, we previously reported on this fundraiser. It is going to bring some of the biggest GOP donors to Palm Beach for what they say is going to be record numbers.

They say it’s going to be more than $33 million, as you noted. But again, it is still early. We are still waiting to see what actually comes in. And they release those numbers on a day that Biden was announcing that he was raising more than $25 million. But this is significant

Really for three reasons. One overarching when you talk about more than $26 million, we talk about more than $33 million. This is setting up to be one of if not the most expensive general elections in history. But this is also particularly significant for Donald Trump for two reasons. One, as we’ve reported,

He has been facing somewhat of a cash crunch on the campaign trail. They are bleeding money out. This is going to help them, even if it’s not $33 million. Millions of dollars from some of the richest GOP donors are going to help the campaign. The other reason why this is so significant

Is the fact that we had seen so many of these big donors really turning their back on Donald Trump, or at least sitting on the sidelines during that primary season waiting to see who the nominee was or in some cases, just hoping that there was going to be an alternative to Donald Trump.

What the signifies is that the Republican Party is really coming around. The former president. They have decided that this is their candidate and they’re going to back that up financially as well. You’ve got some new reporting now about the role that Melania may play because we haven’t been seeing her

On the campaign trail recently. Well, Sara, the role of her is still a big question mark. I mean, that’s what the reporting is right now. We still don’t know what role she’s going to play. We’ve seen her on the campaign trail one and a half times, and I say half times

Because one of the times we saw her was when she was casting her vote in the primary in Florida. She was alongside her husband. She did speak a few words. She said stay tuned. When she was asked whether or not she was going to be back on the campaign trail.

So I give her a half time for that. The only other time we’ve seen her on the campaign trail was during his actual announcement back in November of 20, 22 at Mar a Lago, which is where she lives. She wasn’t even present at his Super Tuesday event, which is arguably the biggest event

He has had so far, which was also at their Mar a Lago home. Now, sources close to the former first lady say she determines when and what she does on the campaign trail, and they don’t have any insight into whether or not she’s actually going to join until she does, in fact,

Make that decision. It’s pretty unusual that the spouse of the former first lady is not by his side for all of these things. We’ll have to wait and see what happens. Kristen Holmes, thank you so much, Fred. All right. Let’s discuss this now and more with Mara Gillespie, founder

And principal of Bluestacks Strategies. And former press adviser to then House Speaker John Boehner. And CNN political commentator and former Democratic South Carolina state representative Bakari Sellers. All right. Good to see both of you. So, Bakari, you first. I mean, a Biden testimony is probably not top of mind this morning

For the president. Instead, you know, that huge fundraising haul of $26 million last night here in New York. So what kind of momentum does this give his reelection campaign? Was there something said, some inspiration inside or perhaps even the demonstrators outside, you know, concerned about Palestinians, which will shape Biden’s messaging this

Point forward? Yeah, there’s no way to put a damper on what the president was able to accomplish yesterday. What you saw was a party unified. I mean, you had Bill Clinton, you had Joe Biden. I mean, you have Barack Obama all together raising money for a unified effort to defeat Donald Trump.

I don’t think you can pay George W Bush any any amount of money to stand next to Donald Trump. You have a fractured party. You have Nikki Haley, who garnered a third to 40% of the Republican voters as she was running her failed bid in the primary election.

And so you have a unified party versus a fractured party. And even more importantly, one of the things you pointed to is $26 million is I guess the older folks say is nothing to shake a stick at. Right? So $26 million is a lot. We are outraising Republicans and all the money

That Donald Trump is raising selling Bibles is probably going to his legal defense fund. And Mara, you know, Biden’s, you know, competitor, Trump, I mean, well, he criticized this event as elitist. And among other things, he instead showed up at fallen NYPD officer Jonathan Diller’s wake. Yet next week,

Trump wants to make it his goal to raise something like $33 million at a Florida gala. So not elitist here. I mean, what what is his message or the goal Well, his message is all over the place. He can’t decide which one he wants to be angry at Biden for outraising him

Or having this event and then also wanting to compete with him. I mean, the biggest win for Trump, which I say is, you know, recognizing that this is unfortunately been viewed just the political lenses, was those headlines where it was you know, Biden and Clinton and Obama have glitzy event and Trump

Attends the funeral of a fallen hero. He wanted that headline. And I say that because that’s who Donald Trump is. It’s not looking out for the people. He’s looking out for himself. And that fundraiser next week is about himself because the RNC is bleeding money and his campaign is also now

Having to be tapped into where he has to sell shoes. He has to sell Bibles because he’s not been a person who wants to go out and make donor calls. But he’s going to have to, not because he needs the money.