Former president Barack Obama will host a virtual fundraiser next week for Joe Biden, marking the first time that the 44th president will host an event for his former vice president’s 2020 White House bid.
Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, was narrowly outraised by President Trump in April. Both campaigns have relied on online fundraising in recent months amid the coronavirus pandemic, although Trump recently appeared at two small in-person fundraising events in a private home in Dallas and an outdoor event at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.
Trump, who has been raising money for his reelection since he became president, maintains a significant cash advantage over Biden. Trump had a massive war chest of $255 million in hand as of early May, officials said.
The Biden campaign, the Democratic National Committee and a joint fundraising committee entered May with $104.5 million, records show.
Obama threw his support behind Biden in April, one day after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) endorsed Biden and condemned Trump.