The allure of the First Lady brought out the stars to her first fundraiser which was co-hosted by Robert Dinero.
As wealthy donors pour millions into the Republican candidates’ campaign purses, it appears the White House believes it has one asset none of its opponents can rival: Michelle Obama.
The Obama re-election campaign rolled out the First Lady for a series of high-profile events on Monday, including a star-studded fundraising dinner, for which celebrities each paid $5,000.
Mrs Obama co-hosted the event in New York City with actor Robert De Niro, who has thrown his weight behind the Obama campaign, even claiming that it was ‘too soon’ for a white First Lady.
With some attendees paying $25,000 to mingle with Mrs Obama, she made sure she dressed the part, changing from a simple green trouser suit to a glamorous black and silver dress for the event.
Celebrities, including singer Beyoncé Knowles and her mother Tina and sister Solange, flocked to the 85-person dinner, held to raise cash for the Obama Victory Fund.
Whoopi Goldberg, Gayle King, Angela Bassett and Ben Stiller also attended the event, joining producer Harvey Weinstein, who has reportedly donated more than $500,000 to the campaign.
De Niro’s wife Grace Hightower warmed up the crowd ahead of the First Lady’s remarks, ticking off Obama’s achievements over his three years in the Oval Office.
She added he was up against ‘vampire energies’ as he tried to accomplish his goals. Hightower also raved about Michelle Obama being ‘a stunner … Even Republicans can agree with that’.
Mrs Obama was greeted with raucous applause as she arrived in the restaurant shortly before 9 p.m and stepped up to the glass lectern.
During her speech, Mrs Obama called the De Niros a ‘dynamic duo in their own right’ and joked about seeing familiar faces she could ‘blame for getting us into this mess’, referring to a second term.
As she ran through a list of her husband’s achievements, the crowd cheered. Talking about health care and how children can stay on their parents’ insurance for longer, she said: ‘Can I get an amen?’
At the end of the half-an-hour speech, she asked: ‘Final question to you all: are you in?’
With the crowd bellowing ‘Fire up! Ready to go!’, she stepped off the stage, waving and blowing kisses, before hugging a young girl, Capital New York reported.
Her pulling power was also exercised on the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday night, as she made her debut appearance on the late night show to talk about her family.
The appearances by the ‘stunner’ of a First Lady appear to be working, with $1.2 million predicted to be raised this week, adding to the $5 million donated to her husband’s campaign last Friday alone.
On Monday afternoon, President Obama hosted a private roundtable discussion with 20 of his wealthiest supporters at the W Hotel in Washington, D.C., with each ticket costing $35,800.
