In New York, Biden takes major donors to task and attacks a 'dangerous' Trump

There's one thing a president can do when Congress is an ungovernable mess, election numbers are flashing red, and crises abroad show no signs of resolving themselves. And that thing is: get out of town.

President Biden traveled to New York on Wednesday to headline three fundraisers, where he presented himself as the last line of defense against Donald Trump's reelection and as a committed — if imperfect — leader who had been around long enough to recognize the existential threat posed Mr. Trump poses challenges to democratic institutions, including the presidency.

“It is dangerous for us to engage in this kind of politics because it ultimately drags us all down,” Mr. Biden said at his third reception, where his voice had dropped to a whisper after a day of shaking hands. , taking selfies and giving speeches.

“It's not that I'm that good, but you have to have someone who can beat someone.”

Mr Biden also pre-empted criticism of his age by joking that he was not 81, but “40 times two”. But in the salons and ballrooms of New York City, any enthusiasm for a second Biden term seemed mixed with fear at the thought of a second Mr. Trump term.

“We are here for him, and for the next four years,” said Maureen White, a Democratic donor and host of Biden's third reception of the day, as she stood next to the president. “But we are also here because the consequences of not electing Joe Biden are terrifying.”

Hoping to reach every target, from policy-oriented activists to community health workers bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic, the Biden campaign hosted three different events on Wednesday. The first was a small, climate-focused panel on the Upper West Side. The second was a large reception with Latino supporters at the Mandarin Oriental.

The third took place in an opulent residence across the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Manhattanites, including actor Robert DeNiro, were in attendance, with risotto, chicken satay and coconut shrimp on the menu. A small Israeli flag stood among the artwork.

At each event, Mr. Biden reworked his message for the audience but focused largely on Mr. Trump. Several times, Mr. Biden deviated from his original point in a story about his upbringing or decades in Congress. At the end of the day, he talked about a request to deliver Senator Strom Thurmond's eulogy while talking about the Republican Party.

“They didn't change their views, but there was a sense, as strange as it sounds, of civility,” Mr. Biden said, recounting his work with Mr. Thurmond and other segregationists. “The point is, we've changed dramatically.”

At all three events, Mr. Biden largely stayed away from the Gaza war, and while protests were barely visible from the presidential motorcade, people angry about his support for Israel's campaign against Hamas had gathered to protest at various points in the city ​​to demonstrate.

No president likes protesters, and Mr. Biden was kept away from the people who came to wave Palestinian flags — people who are also part of the base he must keep intact during an election year. Both the president and government officials responded carefully.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to New York that protesters had the right to “ensure that their voices are heard in a peaceful manner.” We support that. The president supports that. You hear the president when situations arise.”

At one point, when Mr. Biden arrived at the Mandarin Oriental to speak to a large group of Democrats, many of whom had ties to SOMOS, a Latino-led community health group, had gathered 35 floors below.

A crowd estimated by a police officer at about 100 people gathered at Columbus Circle to protest the Biden administration's support for Israel during the country's war with Hamas. Several voters who consider themselves Democrats or left-leaning and had voted for Biden in 2020 said they felt unhappy with him and were reconsidering their voting rights at all.

Sam Skinner, a 24-year-old who lives in Queens, said he voted for Biden in 2020, but the president's handling of the war made him reconsider whether to vote for him again.

“I do think he is a dangerous person to have as president,” Mr. Skinner said of Mr. Trump, “but right now Biden seems like the danger, actively endangering people's lives.

“I feel like Biden's strategy right now seems to be waiting for Trump to say something super crazy and come across as chaotic,” Mr. Skinner added.

Indeed, the chaos wrought by Republicans was Mr. Biden's main focus. Democratic donors say the strategy is a moneymaker: Mr. Biden's campaign reported having about $46 million in cash on hand at the end of December, compared with $33 million for Mr. Trump's campaign, according to filings filed Wednesday. Federal Election Commission have been filed. .

At several points during his visit to New York, the president blasted Mr. Trump for pressuring Republicans to abandon a deal on the border. He chided Republicans for turning away from supporting Ukraine in its efforts to repel a Russian invasion: “What are we doing? Step back?”

He turned to an oft-repeated story about his decision to enter the 2020 presidential race, which came after Mr. Trump refused to condemn a group of white supremacists who held a rally that turned deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia. And he twice criticized Mr. Trump. Trump's comments following an Iowa school shooting in January, in which the former president told the crowd to “get over” the shooting.

“Just get over it?” Mr. Biden said, raising his voice to a shout. “What the hell is he doing?”

Earlier in the day, protests over Gaza were undetectable from the wood-paneled salon of Larry Linden, a philanthropist and climate activist who was a director of Goldman Sachs. Standing next to the president, Mr. Linden told a crowd of supporters gathered at his Upper West Side home that Mr. Biden “seems to excel at just about everything,” including withdrawing the United States from the coronavirus pandemic, all while maintaining your integrity, decency, faith and sympathy.”

(A smiling Mr. Biden shook his head playfully at the “excels at everything” part.)

In a later email, Mr. Linden praised the president for his efforts to help the environment, saying it was in danger of unraveling if he lost in November.

“He has done more to address the climate challenge than any other president,” Linden wrote. “And his likely opponent has made a loud, public commitment to undermine all these gains, putting the nation and the planet in grave danger.”

Liset Cruz And Julian Roberts-Grmela reporting contributed.