Joe Biden, at a Los Angeles fundraiser attended by Leonardo DiCaprio, tried to find the funny side of his wife Jill Biden’s run-in with anti-dairy protesters.
“I’m probably the only candidate running for president whose wife is my Secret Service. Whoa, you don’t screw around with a Philly girl, I’ll tell you what,” Biden told the crowd gathered at Paramount Pictures chief Sherry Lansing’s house in Bel Air Wednesday, according to a pool report.
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The two-term vice president added, “I thought I heard on the news on the way over that that the committee in charge of Secret Service decided they have to start providing Secret Service for us. I think that’s because they’re afraid Jill’s going to hurt someone.”
Jill Biden and top Biden spokeswoman Symone Sanders jumped to the reestablished 2020 Democratic presidential front-runner’s defense after two protesters shouting “Let dairy die!” rushed him during a Super Tuesday night event.
The incident instigated a call for both Joe Biden, 77, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, 78, to receive Secret Service protection. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the Homeland Security Committee chairman, urged acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf on Wednesday to offer the protection.
Actor DiCaprio joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, fellow entertainer and former Pete Buttigieg supporter Keegan-Michael Key, and about 350 others in the backyard of Lansing’s estimated $15 million home, attendees paying $1,000-plus for a ticket.
The fundraiser capped Biden’s victory lap after racking up a slew of unexpected wins on Super Tuesday. The good news for him kept coming Wednesday when former political rival Michael Bloomberg dropped out of the Democratic race for the White House, endorsing him in his wrap-up address. He also raised $7.1 million since the 14-state contest, more than Sanders’s $5.5 million during the same time period.
During an earlier press conference in Los Angeles, Biden pushed back on media criticism that he hadn’t excited the party’s base.
“You know I’m especially proud of our campaign is generating so much enthusiasm, driving up voter turnout all across the nation. This idea that we didn’t have a movement, look at the results,” he said.
As of Wednesday, Delaware’s senator for 36 years has 513 delegates to Sander’s 461. A total of 1,991 delegates are needed to capture the 2020 nomination.
