Eric Clapton helped raise $1 million for Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign at a private fundraiser on Monday night, Kennedy’s campaign announced Tuesday.
Clapton and his band performed at an event, which raised a total of $2.2 million, including $1 million for Kennedy’s campaign and $1.2 million for a political action committee supporting him.
“I am deeply grateful to Eric Clapton for bringing his musical artistry and rebellious spirit to my gathering in Los Angeles last night,” Kennedy said in the press release, which described the Monday night event as a “once-in-a-lifetime musical performance.”
Kennedy’s campaign announced in late August that Clapton would perform at the private fundraiser, which reportedly offered tickets starting at $3,300, up to a maximum of $6,600.
Kennedy and Clapton have both been outspoken about their skepticism of vaccines, which has resulted in fierce blowback from the public.
In the statement Tuesday, Kennedy praised Clapton but did not mention their shared skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines.
“I sometimes think that in our divided society, it is music rather than any kind of intellectual agreement that has the most potential to bring us together again,” Kennedy said in the press release.
“Eric sings from the depths of the human condition. If he sees in me the possibility of bringing unity to our country, it is only possible because artists like him invoke a buried faith in the limitless power of human beings to overcome any obstacle,” he added.
Kennedy is one of two long-shot Democratic presidential bids to challenge incumbent President Biden for the Democratic nomination. While neither Kennedy nor author Marianne Williamson have made any significant headway against the president, Kennedy has been critical of efforts of establishment Democrats to block any serious threat to Biden’s campaign.
If the horrible crap coming out of RFK Jr or Eric Clapton was previously unknown to you: they both suck pretty hard. If you're like "Oh, Tears in Heaven is so meaningful" please realize that he fucking sucks, and anyone he's giving a million dollars to also fucking sucks.
As always, it's best to separate the art from the artist. Just don't give them your money.
Maybe, but sometimes they can't be separated. I don't listen to Eric Clapton's music because he's a racist piece of shit and I don't watch Woody Allen's movies because he's a fucking pedo.
It's kind of an extreme stance, are people going to stop listening to the Beatles, Pink Floyd... all these great bands that had shitty people? Can you discard Hitchcock films because he was a piece of shit? So many pieces of art were made by bad people.
You can listen to whatever you like. I'm not telling anyone what to listen to. You might re-read what I wrote.