The actor George Clooney, a prominent supporter and donor for President Joe Biden, has called on Biden to step down from the presidential race. This surprising plea comes just weeks after Clooney headlined a significant fundraiser for Biden’s reelection campaign.
In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Clooney expressed his admiration for Biden, stating, “I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him.” However, Clooney noted that the Biden he saw during the June 15 fundraiser, which also featured former President Barack Obama, “was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020.”
Clooney’s remarks referenced Biden’s faltering performance at the June 27 presidential debate on CNN, which the White House and Biden campaign attributed to a cold and a tiring travel schedule. Clooney’s assessment suggests that Biden’s debate performance was not an isolated incident but indicative of a broader issue.
Clooney’s relationship with Biden dates back to Biden’s early days as vice president. The actor has been a consistent supporter, even when Biden criticized the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a move that Clooney’s wife, international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, had helped craft. Despite this disagreement, Clooney continued to support Biden, including participating in the June fundraiser.
Clooney’s opinion piece represents a significant defection from Hollywood, a crucial source of support and funding for the Democratic Party. It comes at a time when some Democrats in Congress have also called for Biden to step aside due to concerns about his age and mental acuity.
The June 15 fundraiser, headlined by Clooney, raised $28 million for Biden’s reelection campaign, the most ever raised for the Democratic Party from a single event. A source familiar with the event noted that the timing was chosen to accommodate Clooney’s schedule, following Biden’s travel to the G7 summit in Italy. Biden has cited his intense travel schedule as a reason for his poor debate performance.
In his opinion piece, Clooney urged key Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to ask Biden to “voluntarily step aside.” Clooney warned, “We are not going to win in November with this president,” and suggested that other potential candidates, such as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Vice President Kamala Harris, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, should be considered.
Clooney’s call for Biden to step down has left many Democrats stunned. One senior Democrat remarked, “This seems to be moving more rapidly than I thought.” The opinion piece comes during a crucial week for Biden’s reelection campaign, as cracks in the Democratic coalition continue to grow. At least ten members of Congress from Biden’s own party have publicly asked him to step down.
CNN reported that organizers for at least one Chicago fundraiser scheduled during the Democratic National Convention have decided not to proceed with the event. The decision was made after the host committee paused planning to allow the dust to settle following the July 4 holiday. The event, designed as a lunch for wealthy supporters, was one of many planned in conjunction with the party’s convention. A spokesperson for the Biden campaign stated that the event was not affiliated with their official fundraising schedule.
Clooney is not the only Hollywood Democrat calling for Biden to step down. Rob Reiner, a Biden surrogate who attended a fundraiser alongside Harris after the debate, also urged the president to step aside. Reiner posted on social media, “My friend George Clooney has clearly expressed what many of us have been saying. We love and respect Joe Biden. We acknowledge all he has done for our country. But Democracy is facing an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must step aside.”
Actor Michael Douglas also supported Clooney’s stance, stating that Clooney made a “valid point.” Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta Jones, hosted a fundraiser for Biden in New York in April. On ABC’s “The View,” Douglas expressed his concern, noting that the Democrats have a strong bench of potential candidates.
As Biden participates in high-stakes meetings with NATO allies, the calls for him to step down continue to grow. He is scheduled to hold a solo news conference, his first since the debate, on Thursday.
Source: CNN
