Pop superstar and icon Cher raised over $2 million during a virtual fundraiser for the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris presidential campaign on Monday. “Do you believe in life after Trump?” the singer asked during the event.
“As president, Joe will build on this progress, reversing destructive policies of the Putin, I mean, Trump administration,” Cher joked on the broadcast.
During her appearance at the event, Cher, who’s son Chaz Bono is trans, called attention to the anti-LGBTQ policies of the Trump administration, like the military ban and rolling back healthcare protections for the community.
“After all this, Trump has the audacity to say he supports Americans he calls, quote, ‘the gays,’” Cher said.
Cher recounted the first time she met Biden, saying that she was the one who really want to make the connection because she knew he would be a listening ear, rather than a combative one.
“He thinks he invited me but really I invited myself,” Cher said during the event, speaking of meeting Biden in 2006. “I saw a speech Joe had given, and it was love at first speech. So, I went to his office to grill him, and I asked him really pointed questions, and unlike most politicians, Joe actually listened to me and cared what I had to say. He was honest and kind and smart.”
Biden himself appeared at the fundraiser, promising to sign the Equality Act during his first 100 days in office if given the opportunity. The candidate also took time to recognize the queer Congresspeople present — including Buttigieg and Representative Sean Patrick Maloney from New York — and thank them for their work for the LGBTQ+ community.
The broadcast also featured Representative David Cicilline of Rhode Island, who is currently the most senior gay Congressperson; Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who identifies as a lesbian; and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg, who made headlines when he ran as the second-ever gay presidential candidate.
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