Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign raked in more than $500,000 in donations during a record-breaking fundraiser at the Manhattan townhouse of billionaire hedge fund manager Jim Chanos, according to a report on Tuesday.
The loot from Monday night’s Upper East Side soiree is still being counted, but is already said to be a record for a single candidate at a Big Apple residence fundraiser, Fox Business reported.
The crowd of 180 was made up of folks from both sides of the aisle, including Sen. Al D’Amato (R-NY), billionaire businessman and talk show host John Catsimatidis and other New York City Republicans, as well as local real estate barons and Wall Street fat cats.
Guests were said to have paid up to $2,800 per person to attend.
Angry demonstrators were also drawn to the event, protesting outside the swanky apartment with signs, while shouting barbs at attendees that included, “Down with big oil! Down with corporate America!”
The protests didn’t seem to bother Biden, who reportedly said during the event that the country needs to “strengthen our middle class” — but not at the expense of economic growth.
He said the rich will do “just fine” during a Biden presidency, according to the report.
“He had the crowd really fired up,” said one attendee. “And he spent very little time on Trump, instead offered a more positive message.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo was supposed to introduce the former Vice President to guests, but had a scheduling conflict. With Cuomo a no-show, famed short-seller Chanos took up the task.
During the event, Biden announced that his campaign has raised nearly $20 million, mostly from small donors, The Post previously reported.
The donations from about 360,000 people, each pitching in an average of $55, have allowed Biden to “be able to compete in a way that I’ve never been able to before,” he said.
“We’ve raised a lot of money.”
Before meeting with the business leaders, Biden spoke at the Poor People’s Campaign Candidate Forum in Washington, DC, and said he expected he would win broad swaths of the South if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee.
Biden was back at the fundraising game Tuesday, hitting up the law firm that paid disgraced Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver loads of cash for steering clients its way.
Meanwhile, Catsimatidis, a loyal Trump supporter, said he turned Biden down during Monday night’s fundraiser and “just smiled” when the candidate hit him up for cash.