Joe Biden hits Supreme Court, Donald Trump at Hollywood fundraiser with Barack Obama

WASHINGTON ― President Joe Biden ripped the Supreme Court as "out of kilter" and lobbed attacks at former President Donald Trump as he joined former President Barack Obama and A-list celebrities at a star-studded Hollywood fundraiser Saturday night that hauled in $30 million.

Biden said the winner of the November election will likely have two Supreme Court appointments before taking a shot at Justice Samuel Alito, who has faced criticism after reports of two controversial flags that are symbols in right-wing circles flown at his family residences.

“If he’s reelected he’s going to appoint two more flying flags upside down," Biden said of Trump, calling the impact on the Supreme Court "one of the scariest parts" of a potential second Trump presidency.

The Biden campaign has blamed Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, for the Supreme Court's 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion. Trump's three Supreme Court appointments turned the nation's highest court into a 6-3 conservative majority.

"There has never been a court that’s so far out of step," Biden said. "You had (Justice) Clarence Thomas talking about how there were other things we should consider including in vitro fertilizations."

On stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel led a conversation with Biden and Obama on the stakes of the election.

Obama said the power of the Supreme Court is determined by elections. "What we're seeing now is a byproduct of 2016," he said, referring to Trump's election win over Hillary Clinton. "Hopefully we have learned our lesson. Because these elections matter."

The former president also said "We’ve normalized behavior that used to be disqualified" as he referred to Trump. He then pointed to Trump's recent guilty conviction for falsifying business records in his New York hush money trial.

“We have the spectacle of the nominee of one of the two major parties siting in court and being convicted by a jury of his peers on 34 counts," Obama said. "His foundation is not allowed to operate because it was engaging in monkey business. You have his organization being prosecuted for not paying taxes.”

Obama also addressed "those who are conservatively predisposed" who don’t agree with him or Biden but believe in “basic honesty.” He added: “There are certain standards and values we should stand for."

Other fundraiser headliners included actor George Clooney and actress Julia Roberts, who both delivered short introductory remarks. "It’s the largest Democratic fundraiser ever," Clooney said. The $28 million raised eclipsed the $26 million the Biden campaign pulled in at a New York fundraiser in March co-hosted by Obama and former President Bill Clinton.

The Trump campaign slammed Biden's fundraiser. "2024 in a nutshell," Jason Miller, a Trump senior adviser, wrote on X. "President Trump is campaigning in Detroit today and announcing his Black Americans for Trump coalition. Joe Biden is hanging out in LA today with George Clooney."

Before Biden and Obama took the stage, first lady Jill Biden was introduced by music icon Barbra Streisand, who praised the first lady as a trailblazer in her role. “She’s the neighbor everyone wishes they have, not the type that suddenly flies an American flag upside down,” Streisand said, igniting laughter and groans in the crowd.

Jill Biden sought to contrast the two presidential nominees. “Joe, a man who has dedicated his life to serving his community. Who honors the rule of law instead of trying to bend it to his own will. And rallies the world to fight for democracy and freedom. A president who wakes up every morning thinking about how he can make the lives of Americans better.”

“Or,” she said, “we can choose someone who wakes up every morning caring about one person and one person only −himself.”

For much of the campaign, Biden amassed a sizable fundraising advantage over former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. But Trump's campaign and its affiliated fundraising committees hauled in $76 million in April, compared to $51 million for the Biden campaign, marking the first time Trump defeated Biden in monthly fundraising during the 2024 campaign.

The Trump campaign said it raised a massive $141 million in May, with a significant boost coming after Trump's guilty verdict in his New York hush-money trial. The Biden campaign has not said how much it raised in May, though figures will soon be disclosed with the Federal Election Commission.

Contributing: Reuters. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden rips Supreme Court at Hollywood fundraiser with Barack Obama