Hi folks, 

First and foremost, I hope you and your family are well. 

The past few weeks have been difficult. COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise.

President Trump’s Administration filed another brief in the U.S. Supreme Court to try to completely dismantle Obamacare, at a time when so many are vulnerable.

But we’ve also seen the Supreme Court hand down decisions that protect the LGBTQ+ community, that protect DREAMers, that protect a woman’s right to choose. 

All of these protections are not nearly permanent enough. But for now, it’s a much-needed sigh of relief for so many.

And across the country, state legislatures are voting to take down Confederate statues, and Mississippi’s voted to remove the iconic Confederate symbol from its state flag.

In spite of our president, we are a nation fighting. We’re fighting to be better. We are fighting to keep each other safe.

I’m honored to be in this fight with you. In June, our campaign saw enormous growth and welcomed new members into the fold as we get ready to take this fight to Donald Trump in November. 

I’m looking forward to sharing some more of these updates with you. This is your campaign, so thanks for being here. I mean it. Let’s get into it.

Joe

Campaign Updates

You may have seen, together with the DNC, we outraised Trump for the month of May. 

It was an incredible feat, and it was thanks to grassroots supporters chipping in $5, $25 at a time, whatever they could afford.

In fact, 97% of the campaign's fundraising comes from these grassroots donations, and each month an overwhelming portion of donors are brand new to the campaign.

Now don’t get me wrong, Donald Trump has been fundraising for over three years, so we have a ways to go to catch up. But each month we’re getting closer, and we’re getting there the right way.

We had a great quarter overall, and I’m excited to share that information with you all first, later this month, but July is a notoriously bad month for fundraising, so we’re hoping not to lose any ground.

If you can, will you chip in $5 to start July off strong? What we raise this month decides how we invest in key battleground states, and it would be a shame to lose ground to Donald Trump in states I know we can win:

The truth is, we’ve found new and creative ways to fundraise and keep this campaign strong, and that’s largely thanks to all of you.

We hosted a grassroots fundraiser with President Obama to astounding success. Overall more than 175,000 people chipped in to attend, and we raised over $11 million. Together we are all paving new ground, making this the biggest event of its kind to date, and I, of course, like any excuse to talk to my old friend.

Last month, I also had the privilege to earn the endorsement of Christian Cooper and spend a few minutes talking to him about what’s at stake. Christian is an incredible man, and we are lucky to have people like him leading us forward with grace and conviction. You can watch more about him here:

And you can watch my conversation with him here on everything from civil rights, to  LGBTQ+ rights, to the power of turning pain into action, and of course, we talked about birds. You can watch the full video by clicking here.

There is one thing I cannot stress enough: Please, please, please wear a mask.

Hey, I think they can even be pretty stylish:

Wearing a mask shouldn’t be a political statement. It is showing that you care about your safety and the safety of others. You care about essential workers risking harm every day to help you get what you need. 

Caring for others, even those you don’t know, is not a political act. It is overwhelmingly American.

Unfortunately, Donald Trump doesn’t see it that way. So as he positions himself as the anti-mask candidate, I’m proud to be the pro-mask candidate of this election.

If you’re with me, my team can send you this exclusive “Wear a Mask” sticker. Just chip in whatever you can for shipping >>

As I mentioned earlier, it’s downright shameful that Trump and his administration are going after Obamacare, especially now with so many Americans vulnerable and scared.

When President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, we were able to give a much-needed sigh of relief for over 100 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. 

We can’t afford to lose any ground on health care, we must instead forge ahead and build on it. My team and I have laid out my plan to protect and build upon Obamacare. You can read it here.

What I’m reading this week:

“This Is Trump’s Plague Now” - The Atlantic
I’ve said from the beginning, what a president does during a crisis matters. We need to speed up testing -- we can’t slow it down. Just because Trump refuses to meet this crisis and acknowledge it for what it is, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. His denial only makes it worse.

Hey Joe!

From: Daniel in Seattle, WA. Hi Joe -- I’m a Millennial voter, and I’m worried many of my peers and younger Gen Z voters will be so disillusioned by the Trump administration and recent events that we will continue to not turn out to vote. How can we prevent this?

Millennials and Gen Z have dealt with setback after setback -- a nation at war, deep recessions, dangerous political divides and social unrest, mass shootings, and now, a global pandemic that has disproportionately affected them. 

With record-high unemployment and well over 100,000 lives lost, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought a greater focus on the need for real change in this country. But we must not let a lack of leadership from the White House curtail our determination to get big things done for the American people.

But Daniel, I’m not taking anything for granted. It’s not enough to just be an alternative to Trump. My campaign is focusing on the issues young voters like you care about most -- like climate change, civil rights, and student debt. We have also launched Students for Biden and Young Professionals for Biden. I encourage you to join and recruit your friends as well!

Because if there is one thing I know, it is that you and your friends and classmates can change this country. But in order to do that, you have to get involved, and you have to vote.

Question from Alyssa in Sacramento, CA: What are your priorities for your first 100 days of office if you are elected?

There are many urgent issues we will need to focus on. I’ve said throughout my campaign that climate change is an existential crisis and one that we need to take urgent action to address. I have said that on my first day in the Oval Office I will send an immigration bill to Congress that puts DREAMers and 11 million undocumented individuals on the pathway to citizenship. And in recent weeks, we’ve seen the results of systemic racism that has long plagued this country and our society. I made a promise to George Floyd’s family that his name wouldn't be a hashtag, and I intend to live up to that promise. 

But I think one of the most important issues that I would have to deal with immediately is the public health and economic crisis we find ourselves in because of COVID-19 and President Trump’s bungled response to it. I gave a speech yesterday in Wilmington and laid out not only what President Trump needs to do immediately to get the virus under control, but some of my vision for how to get our country back on a path to open safely and sustainably. I’ll have more to say in the next few weeks about my Day One COVID-19 plan, but you can see my whole speech here.

Question from Marie in Royal Oak, MI: Hi Joe! You’re known for your love of ice cream. Have you been able to enjoy it this summer?

I eat ice cream every day! My favorite is chocolate chip. I’d eat even more if I could, but Jill doesn’t let me! 

Spread the Faith

As you know, our team is selling masks in our online store and donating an unbranded one for every one sold, but in case you want some other options, this article has a list of places to buy face masks that also contribute to an important cause, whether it's donating the proceeds or providing PPE to hospitals and communities in need. 

Click here: “17 face masks that support a good cause”

Finally, I wanted to share the quick story of “Lasagna Lady.”

After being furloughed, Michelle Brenner used her stimulus check to start making lasagna for her neighbors, based on her grandmother’s family recipe. Over the past 3 months she’s prepared over 1,200 pans of lasagna for her community -- for hospital workers, first responders, retired neighbors, and families struggling without paychecks.

Now, I know that a home-cooked meal can go a long way in tough times. It doesn't solve everything but sometimes just someone looking out for you, and putting love into a meal for you, makes a huge difference. I want to thank the people across the country like Michelle, who are stepping up for their communities, one act of kindness and compassion at a time.

What’s Coming

• We’ll be adding some exciting events to the calendar in July. You can stay tuned to JoeBiden.com/Live and catch events and videos you miss on our Youtube channel here.


• You can catch up with my podcast “Here's the Deal” here, and look out for some special guests this month.

That’s all I’ve got for tonight.

I want to thank you again for keeping our campaign strong in June.

From helping us hit our fundraising goal, to making our virtual events a huge success, you all have brought your heart and soul to this campaign, and this campaign is better for it.

If you have any thoughts or questions for my newsletter, enter them here, and my team will pass them along: go.joebiden.com/newsletter

Together, we can beat Donald Trump. But we can go further than that -- we can restore the soul of this nation, we can lift each other up, and we can heal this country.

But only if we do it together.

Thanks. Take care of yourself. You mean a lot to this team and me.

Joe