Jeffrey Katzenberg under fire from Biden donors in Hollywood: Jeffrey lied

Hollywood Donors Who Gave $30 million Biden campaign officials just three weeks ago are furious with the campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg after witnessing the president's disastrous performance in the debate last week, insiders told TheWrap.

“What Jeffrey Katzenberg did here is unbelievable,” said a Hollywood power broker, donor and influential Democrat who declined to be identified. “Jeffrey lied about the whole Biden thing. Biden’s entire inner circle lied. It’s such an act of hypocrisy.”

“Everybody is furious,” said a prominent Hollywood Democratic Party member. “People are furious because they feel betrayed.”

They feel betrayed, certainly, because as the elder statesman of the Hollywood community, Katzenberg personally vouched for Biden's mental and physical abilities despite concerns expressed early by donors about the president's age.

Indeed, a New York Times laudatory profile Just two weeks ago, the entertainment mogul addressed this very question:

“When President Biden made clear last year that he was considering running for another term, some major Democratic contributors expressed doubts. They worried that he was too old. He wasn’t up to the task for four more years. It was Jeffrey Katzenberg who he had to tell them they were wrong,” Baker wrote.

The article continues: When some still didn't believe him, Mr. Katzenberg challenged them to come to Washington and find out for themselves, then arranged to bring the questionable donors to the White House to sit down with the octogenarian president to convince them that he was still smart enough.

And just three weeks ago, a fundraiser with stars for Biden with George Clooney, Jimmy Kimmel and Julia Roberts raised more than $30 million from the community, billed as the biggest success in the party's history.

The campaign has been in crisis since debate last thursday In that interview, the president appeared dazed, bewildered, and mumbled half-answers, generally coming across as an elderly citizen in need of help, not the leader of the free world. The ensuing discussion led to questions about whether Biden should step down, but also to a damning debate over who covered up his remarks, when, and why.

In recent days, major entertainment figures including Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, Hollywood showrunner Damon Lindelof, media mogul Barry Diller and the Disney heir have appeared. Abigail Disney All have called on Biden to step down. Many have said publicly and privately that they will stop donating to Biden’s campaign and instead redirect their Democratic donations to local elections.

Katzenberg’s role in the cover-up debate is a hot topic in Hollywood. At a summer disco last weekend, where Hollywood showrunners spent time with their families, not a single person wanted Biden to stay, the Democratic insider said.

Outside of politics, the damage to Katzenberg is more complex. His connections to the entertainment industry are valuable. It would be easier for Jeffrey to cozy up to a president than to lose his reputation in Hollywood, the source observed.

The power broker said Katzenberg was seeking to rehabilitate after the failure of his tech company, Quibi, and had been pestering people to support Biden in the relentless way he has attacked every target during his historic career.

Jeffrey is doing exactly what he did with Quibi, the power broker said. He keeps calling you, so you just give him money to get [him to leave you alone]. You give money. And a lot of people have. But that's what happens with Jeffrey.

He wants to be a power broker and has completely lost sight of the goal here — which he says is to get rid of Trump — without telling anyone the truth about his man, this person said.

Several political observers interviewed by TheWrap noted that Katzenberg has remained silent since the debate. The Financial Times reported that the campaign co-chair raised eyebrows the day after the debate when he failed to attend a meeting aimed at coordinating celebrity endorsements.

In the days since the debate, sentiment in Hollywood that Biden should step down has only grown stronger. And many are looking to Vice President Kamala Harris.

For his part, Biden remains determined to stay in the race and will try to further allay fears about his health during an interview on ABC News Friday night with George Stephanopoulos.

Contacted by TheWrap, Katzenberg referred questions about his role to a Biden campaign spokesperson. The spokesperson did not respond to TheWrap before publication.

The post office Jeffrey Katzenberg under fire from Biden donors in Hollywood: 'Jeffrey lied' first appeared on The Envelope.