Biden warns of more Trump Supreme Court picks
President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama discussed the repercussions of a second Trump term at a fundraiser
What happened
President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama criticized Donald Trump and warned about a second Trump term at a fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday night. The event — hosted by George Clooney, Julia Roberts and other top celebrities and moderated by Jimmy Kimmel — raised more than $30 million for Biden's campaign, a record for Democrats but shy of the $50.5 million Trump said he raised at a private April fundraiser with major GOP donors.
Who said what
Biden said "one of the scariest parts" of another Trump term is he would likely be able to "appoint two more" justices "flying flags upside-down," after picking the three justices who allowed the court to overturn Roe v. Wade. "The Supreme Court has never been as out of kilter as it is today," he added. Obama said he hoped Democrats "learned our lesson" from 2016, when "a whole bunch of folks" didn't vote, "because these elections matter in very concrete ways."
A spokesperson for Trump, who spent Saturday campaigning in Detroit, criticized Biden for fundraising with "out-of-touch elitist Hollywood celebrities." Trump said Saturday night that Biden "should take a cognitive test like I did," though he immediately went on to "confuse who administered the test to him," The Associated Press said, twice calling Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tx.) "Ronny Johnson."
What next?
Biden and Trump are scheduled to hold their first of two debates on June 27.
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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
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