Tomorrow. President Biden, former President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton will all take the stage together to headline a high dollar fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Sources tell CNN that Obama is planning to ramp up campaigning for Biden as the general election draws closer and that he's made it clear that the 2024 election marks are, quote, all hands on deck moment. Let's take you now live to the White House with CNN's Kayla torch. Kayla, tell us more about Oba
ma's plans to help his former running mate. ALLBAUGH As President, Obama has been lending his support, both in private conversations with his former vice president and former staffers, as well as public fundraising appeals aimed at energizing voters and filling Democrats coffers. I'm told that the Biden campaign has largely been instructing former President Obama on how exactly he can be most helpful. And I'm told that he's been more than happy to oblige, especially when it comes to bolstering s
upport among demographics like black and Latino voters as well as young voters. And while President Obama won't feature prominently on the campaign trail until really later this fall, leading up to that November election, he has already recorded a series of fundraising videos that are expected to be released in succession in the coming weeks and months. And then there is that big high dollar fundraiser that you mentioned that's happening tomorrow night in New York City at Radio City Music Hall,
where three sources tell CNN that the hall there is expected to be well above the initial $10 million estimate set for the fundraising for that event. Just underscoring the financial firepower that Democrat to have going into November. Now, comedian Stephen Colbert is going to be moderating a conversation on stage with those three presidents. What some leading Democrats are calling a once in a lifetime conversation. But I'm told that that conversation is going to be more thematic than substantiv
e. It's going to highlight what President Biden has accomplished in the last four years and what they believe the stakes are for the 2024 race. And to that end, Boris. Obama's 2012 campaign manager, Jim Messina, tells CNN that the fact that Donald Trump is likely to be the opponent for President Biden in the race just underscores the urgency of that mission and his willingness to help this year. Carlos Horseshoe live for us from the White House. Thanks so much, Carol. Let's expand this conversat
ion now with Leon Panetta. He's a former White House chief of staff under President Clinton. He also served as defense secretary and CIA director under President Obama. Secretary, thanks so much for being with us. Given the reporting. I'm wondering what role you expect former President Obama to play in the 2024 election? Well, look, I think it's a good step that the president is having a fundraiser with both former President Clinton and President Obama. They both got reelected as Democrats in th
e White House. They both were very popular and they both had a good sense of messaging to the average American. And I think that's where obviously President Obama can be very effective. I mean, I think they have to be careful about where they use the former president. I would probably wait until we get closer to the convention and then to the election in the fall. But I think he can be a tremendous asset in terms of reaching not just the average American, but obviously the Latinos, the young peo
ple, the minorities that are going to be critical to Joe Biden if he's going to win this election. And specifically on on certain issues, he can be an effective messenger. We know that during his visit at the White House, he participated in an organizing call to celebrate the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. I'm wondering how critical do you think messaging on health care generally is going to be in 2024? Well, I think messaging is going to be very critical to the ability of Joe Bide
n to be able to win this election in November. And that messaging has to be about health care, about the Affordable Care Act. That messaging has to be about the economy and what needs to be done to make sure we continue to improve the economy. But that messaging has to obviously deal with reproductive rights, which is a critical issue. We just saw in a House race in Alabama that was to be a Republican district, I think a Democrat one campaigning on reproductive rights and in vitro fertilization.
So there are some very critical issues here that I think could be very helpful to the president with the right message. So yesterday, President Biden finished up a tour of all 2024 swing states that he started after the State of the Union speech. The campaign is now apparently hitting Obama's warning to step up the number of events that he's holding. Do you think they should be doing even more? Well, I think it's it's a critical moment here. Look, I think Trump is in a difficult position. He's
going to be going into a trial. He's not able to go out and do a lot of campaign events. This is a moment where a Joe Joe Biden can basically dominate in the campaign arena. So it is important that he get out to the country. It's important that they well-planned these campaign events to make sure that they are successful and that he continues to fundraise. All of those things are critical to his ability to be able to lay the groundwork for a strong campaign in the fall. Former Defense Secretary
Leon Panetta, thanks for being with us.
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