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The epicenter of the presidential campaign shifted to New York on Thursday, as the incumbent president and three of his predecessors descended on the area for dueling events that illustrated the kinds of political clashes that could come to define the general election.

For Democrats, it was a high-profile, celebrity-studded fund-raiser for President Biden in Manhattan. On Long Island, former President Donald J. Trump attended a wake for a New York City officer who was killed during a traffic stop on Monday. Together, the days events struck an unusual contrast in a general election campaign that has so far been largely defined by appearances in courtrooms and at small, invitation-only events.

Mr. Biden, along with Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, appeared before 5,000 donors at a Radio City Music Hall event that campaign aides said raised $25 million. The eye-popping number set a record for a single political event, according to the aides, and offered a star-studded show of Democratic unity as the president heads into a difficult re-election campaign.

The three Democratic presidents spent much of their time in New York City wrapped in the glitz of their celebrity supporters. Tieless and in matching white shirts, they sat for an interview on a celebrity podcast, were roasted by the comedian Mindy Kaling and interviewed by Stephen Colbert, a late-night host.

Our democracy is at stake, not a joke. I think democracy is literally at stake, Mr. Biden said. Were at an inflection point in history.

Both Mr. Obama and Mr. Clinton made the case for re-electing Mr. Biden, praising his work expanding health care coverage, creating jobs, capping insulin prices and navigating the competing demands of the war in Gaza.

Its not just the negative case against the presumptive nominee on the other side. Its the positive case for somebody whos done an outstanding job, said Mr. Obama. We also have a positive story to tell about the future and that is something that Joe Biden has worked on, diligently, each and every day.

Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, made his own appearance in the area several hours earlier, at a funeral home on Long Island surrounded by hundreds of police officers and family members of the slain officer. While not officially a campaign stop, aides used the appearance to draw a sharp contrast with Mr. Biden, attacking the Democrats for spending their evening with donors and celebrities. In recent weeks, Mr. Trump has spent far more time battling in court than in battleground states.

Mr. Biden, meanwhile, has increased the pace of his events since his State of the Union address early this month. But the fund-raiser was one of the largest crowds he has appeared before as president. It will expand an already significant cash advantage, too, raising in one night $5 million more than Mr. Trump reported collecting in February.

The days events underscored a central dynamic of the race: Mr. Biden is campaigning with the force of the Democratic establishment behind his bid, as Mr. Trump stands largely alone.

While Mr. Trump has been endorsed by many Republicans in Congress, a small but persistent wing of the party has declined to support his third run for the White House. The only other living former Republican president has not endorsed his bid, nor has Mike Pence, his former vice president.

Mr. Biden faces a different problem. Nearly all Democratic Party officials, politicians and strategists stand behind his effort. Yet, he has faced sustained opposition from a vocal minority of progressives who have protested the war in Gaza, through protest votes and event disruptions.

On Thursday, a group of several hundred protesters marched through the rain to stand outside the fund-raiser. Biden, Biden, youre a liar, we demand a cease-fire, they chanted. Mr. Biden has faced growing anger from political supporters and global allies about the civilian death toll in Israels war on Hamas.

Jacob Sierra, 27, said he was at the protest because Joe Biden has been enabling the genocide. A registered Democrat from Brooklyn, Mr. Sierra voted for Mr. Biden in 2020 but doesnt think hell vote for the president or Mr. Trump this year.

Were just really frustrated with the fact that this is still going on, said Mr. Sierra, who works for a nonprofit. Were seeing vague sympathy from the president and other elected officials but there is not a lot of action.

Inside the hall, the three presidents sat in matching white armchairs and took the stage to strains of Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen, the unofficial bard of the Democratic Party.

Before their appearance, Ms. Kaling warmed up the crowd with jokes about those who spent $500,000 to attend and the age of the men they were all gathered to celebrate. Ms. Kaling, 44, said that she looked like a cast member on Euphoria compared to Mr. Biden, Mr. Obama and Mr. Clinton.

Protesters disrupted the program by shouting blood on your hands. Some were escorted out of the hall by security. You cant just talk and not listen, Mr. Obama snapped, as he was interrupted. Thats what the other side does.

When asked about the situation in Gaza, Mr. Biden expressed understanding for both sides, saying there are too many innocent victims, Israeli and Palestinian.

Its understandable Israel has such a profound anger and Hamas is still there, he said. But we must, in fact, stop the effort that is resulting in significant deaths of innocent civilians, particularly children.

The appearance ended with a joke, when Mr. Colbert, Mr. Clinton and Mr. Obama put on aviator sunglasses as their impression of the president.

Mr. Biden cracked that hes a man who loves two things: Ray-Ban sunglasses and ice cream.

A musical program featured a series of celebrity endorsers including Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele.

Only a small group of press traveling with the White House was allowed in the event and video footage by the news media was prohibited. Before the fund-raiser, the three presidents participated in a joint interview on Smartless, a podcast hosted by the actors Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes.

Mr. Trumps appearance struck a decidedly different tone. The former president spent about 30 minutes inside a funeral home in suburban Massapequa on Long Island, visiting with the widow and 1-year-old son of Officer Jonathan Diller. Mr. Diller was fatally shot during a traffic stop on Monday.

While not an official campaign event, Mr. Trump took the opportunity to press a tough-on-crime message. Mr. Trump, who is facing four criminal cases, including one in Manhattan that is going to trial in less than three weeks, stood in front of more than a dozen police officers and proclaimed the need for the country to get back to law and order.

His campaign pushed a different message, drawing a sharp contrast between Mr. Trumps visit and the other political event happening in the region.

President Trump will be honoring the legacy of Officer Diller, Steven Cheung, a campaign spokesman, said on social media.

Mayor Eric Adams of New York, who attended the wake after Mr. Trump, told reporters that Mr. Biden had called him to offer condolences that Mr. Adams said he would relay to the family. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said Mr. Biden has supported law enforcement officers throughout his entire career.

Violent crime surged under the previous administration, she said, speaking aboard Air Force One, as the president traveled to New York City. The Biden-Harris administration have done the polar opposite, taking decisive action from the very beginning to fund the police and achieving a historic reduction in crime.

Michael Gold and Julian Roberts-Grmela contributed reporting.

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Election Updates: Obama and Clinton appear with Biden to raise $25 million. - The New York Times

President Biden will depart Washington today for a two-day trip to New York, turning his attention away from swing states to campaign and raise funds in a liberal stronghold.

Mr. Biden, 81, will be joined tonight at a campaign fund-raiser in Manhattan by his two most recent Democratic predecessors: Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

The star-studded event, at Radio City Music Hall, is aimed at building on the already significant financial advantage Mr. Biden has over his opponent, former President Donald J. Trump. Campaign finance records released last week showed that Mr. Bidens campaign had more than twice as much cash on hand as Mr. Trumps campaign a gap of nearly $40 million.

And it is likely to be just the beginning of the effort by Mr. Obama, 62, who left office seven years ago, and Mr. Clinton, 77, who left office over 23 years ago, to lift the presidents re-election campaign ahead of his rematch against Mr. Trump in the fall.

Mr. Obama in particular has expressed grave concerns that Mr. Biden could lose to Mr. Trump and is making regular calls to top aides at the White House to strategize and offer advice. He had previously played a crucial role in wrapping up the 2020 primaries after it became nearly certain that Mr. Biden would be the nominee.

Mr. Obama and Mr. Clinton both campaigned on Mr. Bidens behalf in the 2020 race and made main-stage speeches at that years Democratic National Convention. The two have since offered the president their counsel during his term and have visited the White House and promoted their policy achievements alongside Mr. Biden.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, had meanwhile made some effort to eschew campaign politics during her own appearance at the New York Public Library on Wednesday evening. But Mrs. Clinton could not entirely avoid questions about Mr. Trump and the coming election. She said that Americans should ensure that Mr. Trump is never president ever again. She was also asked whether she found Mr. Trumps felony indictments gratifying.

I am not answering that question, she said with a smile and a vigorous shake of her head.

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Biden Will Campaign Alongside Bill Clinton and Barack Obama - The New York Times

L.L. Bean has just added a third shift at its factory in Brunswick, Maine, in an attempt to keep up with demand for its iconic boot.

Orders have quadrupled in the past few years as the boots have become more popular among a younger, more urban crowd.

The company says it saw the trend coming and tried to prepare, but orders outpaced projections. They expect to sell 450,000 pairs of boots in 2014.

People hoping to have the boots in time for Christmas are likely going to be disappointed. The bootsare back ordered through February and even March.

"I've been told it's a good problem to have but I"m disappointed that customers not getting what they want as quickly as they want," said Senior Manufacturing Manager Royce Haines.

Customers like, Mary Clifford, tried to order boots on line, but they were back ordered until January.

"I was very surprised this is what they are known for and at Christmas time you can't get them when you need them," said Clifford.

People who do have boots are trying to capitalize on the shortage and are selling them on Ebay at a much higher cost.

L.L. Bean says it has hired dozens of new boot makers, but it takes up to six months to train someone to make a boot.

The company has also spent a million dollars on new equipment to try and keep pace with demand.

Some customers are having luck at the retail stores. They have a separate inventory, and while sizes are limited, those stores have boots on the shelves.

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Biden, Obama, Clinton in NYC: Street closures, traffic impacts and more to know - NBC New York

Michelle Obama praised Beyonces Cowboy Carter country album on Instagram while putting in a plea for fans to vote.

The former first lady wrote in a post on Tuesday that Beyonce was helping redefine a music genre and transform our culture, before pivoting to this years presidential election.

This album reminds us that we ALL have power, she wrote in the posts caption, which accompanied the cover art for Cowboy Carter. Theres power in our history, in our joy, and in our votes and we can each use our own gifts and talents to make our voices heard on the issues that matter most to us.

Together, we can stand up for what we believe in, and we must do that at the ballot box this year, she continued. The issues that impact us most are on the ballot across the country from equal pay and racial justice to reproductive healthcare and climate change. And as Queen Bey says at the end of Ya Ya, we need to keep the faith and VOTE!

The ex-first lady pointed followers to her When We All Vote website to register to vote, adding that the process can be done in the time it takes you to listen to your favorite song on the album.

In January, Obama talked about the 2024 presidential election during an appearance on Jay Shettys On Purpose podcast.

I am terrified about what could possibly happen because our leaders matter who we select, who speaks for us, who holds that bully pulpit, she said.

Obamas call to action comes amid recent reports that her husband, former President Barack Obama, is becoming more involved with President Joe Bidens campaign.

Beyonce received the Innovator Award at the iHeart Radio Music Awards on Monday, weeks after her single, Texas Hold Em, climbed to No. 1 on Billboards country songs chart. Shes the first Black woman to reach the top spot.

The 32-time Grammy winner endorsed Biden shortly before the 2020 election.

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Michelle Obama's Shoutout To Beyonce Takes A Political Turn - Yahoo Entertainment

US President Joe Biden, and former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are heckled over Israels war against Hamas at a New York City fundraiser.

During a discussion moderated by The Late Show host Stephen Colbert at the iconic Radio City Music Hall, protesters rise at several different moments to shout over the discussion and criticize Bidens backing of Israel.

Shame on you, Joe Biden one yells.

Obama says Biden has moral clarity on the Israel issue and is willing to listen to all sides in this debate and find common ground.

When a protestor inside the theater interrupts Obama, the former president snaps back: You cant just talk and not listen Thats what the other side does.

The protests draw a pledge from Biden to keep working to stop civilian deaths, particularly of children. But he adds, Israels existence is at stake.

Outside, hundreds of protesters demonstrate against Israel in Midtown Manhattan.

Also attending the event was Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who recently hinted that Democrats could pull support for Israel if it does not hold elections and oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Tickets for Thursdays Biden event, expected to bring some buzz to his reelection effort, cost between $250 and $500,000, according to a Democrat familiar with the planning. The campaign said it raised more than $25 million.

More than 5,000 people were expected to attend. The event was not televised.

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Biden, Obama and Clinton heckled over Israel support at New York fundraiser - The Times of Israel