Biden set to leave Los Angeles, next stop Albuquerque

President Joe Biden will conclude an approximately 68-hour visit to Los Angeles Saturday morning when he departs aboard Air Force One for Albuquerque, where he will receive a briefing on the New Mexico wildfires.

On Friday, Biden was among the leaders of 20 nations attending the Summit of the Americas who signed the “Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection,” described as a pact to pursue a “comprehensive” approach to addressing the crisis; spoke at the Port of Los Angeles at the Battleship Iowa on inflation and the actions the administration has taken to try to lower prices and address supply chain challenges, hosted a “leaders retreat” and a luncheon with various summit delegates; and spoke at two Democratic National Committee fundraisers.

The introduction of the declaration states the agreement reiterates a collective will “to strengthen national, regional, and hemispheric efforts to create the conditions for safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration and to strengthen frameworks for international protection and cooperation.”

The declaration highlights commitments to assist and promote stability in communities of destination, origin and transit of migrants; regular pathways for migration; management of “humane” migration; a “shared approach” to reducing and managing “irregular migration”; and ensuring coordinated emergency response to mass migration and refugee movements.

“With this declaration, we’re transforming our approach to managing migration in the Americas,” Biden said during the signing event. “Each of us — each of us is signing up to commitments that recognizes the challenges we all share and the responsibility that impacts on all of our nations.

“And that, that will take all of our nations. … I’ve learned by significant experience, it’s going to take all of our nations working together in partnership to address this migration issue.”

Biden later added, “Unlawful migration is not acceptable, and we’ll secure our borders, including through innovative, coordinated actions with our regional partners.”

The first fundraiser was at the Brentwood home of Andrew Hauptman, chairman of the Andell Holdings investment firm and a major Biden fundraiser. According to a statement on behalf of Hauptman, the event will raise nearly $2.5 million from roughly 30 donors for the DNC, with the money bound for various state Democratic parties and grassroots infrastructure.

“With the Senate and House in play and so many other critical races this November up and down the ballot, we need to do all we can to support President Biden right now,” Hauptman said in a statement.

Movie producer Jeffrey Katzenberg was a co-chair of the event.

The second was at the Beverly Hills home of Haim Saban, the chairman and CEO of the Saban Capital Group Inc., the private investment firm that manages a globally diversified portfolio of investments across public equities, venture capital, private equities, credit, alternative investments and real property assets.

Biden was preceded in speaking by DNC Chair Jamie Harrison, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and Saban, with speakers touting the importance of the 2022 midterm elections.

“We are going to live with this inflation for a while,” Biden said hours after the Labor Department said the consumer-price index increased 8.6% in May from the same month a year ago, its fastest pace since December 1981. “It’s going to come down gradually but we are going to live with it for a while.”