President Joe Biden and his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama led a star-studded fundraiser with former President Bill Clinton on Thursday and offered a robust defense of the White House’s handling of the Gaza crisis as protesters disrupted the event.
Biden, who traveled with Obama on Air Force One to New York, took part in a debate with Clinton hosted by “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in front of thousands of guests. Organizers say the event raised more than $25 million for Biden’s U.S. re-election campaign.
But the rally was interrupted by several protests inside the massive auditorium, with attendees standing up at several different points to shout over the discussion, referring to Biden’s support for Israel in Hamas’ war that has killed more than 30,000 people in Gaza.
“Shame on you, Joe Biden!” shouted one.
Obama and Clinton offered a presidential perspective on the Gaza crisis that underscored the political realities of being in the White House.
The president must be able to support Israel while fighting for the Palestinians to have better access to food, medical supplies, and a future state, they said.
“It’s a lonely place,” Obama said. “One of the realities of the presidency is that the world has a lot of joy and beauty, but also a lot of tragedy and cruelty.”
People “understandably often want to feel some clarity about how these decisions are made,” he said. “But the president doesn’t have that luxury.
When a protester in the theater interrupted Obama, the former president retorted, “You can’t just talk and not listen…That’s what the other side does.”
The pair of former presidents also defended Biden’s handling of the economy, which ranks low in national polls.
Clinton said Biden’s economic numbers far outperformed the Trump administration.
“I believe in keeping score,” Clinton said. “He was good for America” and deserves another term.
