Jeffrey Katzenberg has vowed to deliver “all the resources” Joe Biden needs for his 2024 re-election campaign as the Hollywood studio executive and prominent Democratic donor shrugged off concerns about the president’s political prospects.
In a relentlessly upbeat interview, the co-chair of Biden’s campaign, who plays an important role in the fundraising effort, said he was “confident” of pulling in more than the $1bn of contributions received during the 2020 race.
“For us, this is about a 19-month marathon, it’s not a sprint,” Katzenberg told the Financial Times. “The excitement and enthusiasm level since he’s announced, certainly from the high-end donors I’ve been in touch with, has been very, very high.”
The Hollywood mogul’s comments come after Biden’s re-election campaign was hit by the release of a Washington Post-ABC News poll on Sunday, which showed former president Donald Trump leading Biden by seven points in a general election match-up. The Real Clear Politics average shows Trump with a smaller edge of 0.7 per cent.
Katzenberg batted away suggestions that Biden, 80, is too old to run for office after polls repeatedly showed the president’s age is a top concern for voters and one of his biggest vulnerabilities. In the survey on Sunday, just 32 per cent said Biden “has the mental sharpness it takes to serve effectively as president”.
“The president has shown that he’s 80 years young and brings with him the wisdom and knowledge and experience that he has shown during the past two years,” said Katzenberg, 72. “He is fit and engaged and has a high level of energy.”
Trump is only four years younger than Biden but this week’s Washington Post-ABC News poll signalled that voters were much less concerned about his mental sharpness and physical health.
The co-founder of DreamWorks SKG, who is now founding partner of WndrCo, an investment firm, has been a prominent donor to Democratic causes and candidates for years. He spoke ahead of the first of two re-election campaign fundraisers attended by Biden on Wednesday evening in New York City, at the home of George Logothetis, the executive chair of the Libra Group, and then the home of Tony James, the former Blackstone executive.
At the second event, Biden took on the age question directly, saying it was a “legitimate” issue.
“It wasn’t an automatic decision about running again. Not because I didn’t think there was more to do, but because I thought to myself . . . four more years means six more years. It’s a long time,” he said.
Katzenberg said that heading into the race, Biden had the “great advantage” of incumbency but would also mount a strong campaign.
“Biden has been a ‘boots on the ground, shaking hands, meeting people politician’ for four to five decades — he loves campaigning and loves connecting with people.”
In the 2020 election campaign, Republicans attacked Biden for running a “basement campaign” from his home in Delaware, arguing it showed he did not have the energy to keep up with Trump’s rally-packed scheduled. Democrats said the president was being cautious because the race took place during the coronavirus pandemic.
With a potential rematch looming against Trump next year, Katzenberg said Biden needed to tout his record in office rather than simply highlighting how he differs from his predecessor.
“He doesn’t have to run against anybody, he has to run on what he has achieved for the voters, and that is unprecedented,” Katzenberg said, referring to the passage of sweeping economic legislation and strong job creation.
“I don’t think people recognise yet what he has been able to do for the country, and that is a messaging opportunity.”
Biden’s team has faced criticism from some Democratic operatives for not doing enough to telegraph its record in government. The campaign’s “job”, Katzenberg said, was “to make sure that money is not a factor — that he has all the resources to run a first-class campaign”.
Katzenberg also defended Kamala Harris, the vice-president, who is again running with Biden, despite her persistently low approval ratings.
He said the former California senator would be an asset both in terms of raising money and on the campaign trail. “When she gets out and hits the road you will see just what an effective campaigner she is. I have 20-plus years of experience with her in California and I’ve seen it over and over again.”