‘Devastating’: Actor George Clooney makes bombshell call on Biden
The Hollywood actor and lifelong Democrat supporter has made a “devastating” call about Biden four months out from the US election.
Actor and leading Democrat fundraiser, George Clooney has called for US President Joe Biden to drop his re-election bid, claiming the 81-year-old is not the “Joe ‘big F***ng deal’ Biden” he used to be.
Clooney, a lifelong Democrat supporter, made the “devastating” call in a piece for theNew York Times just three weeks after hosting a huge fundraiser in Los Angeles which raised nearly $30 million for Mr Biden.
“I love Joe Biden,” Clooney wrote. “I consider him a friend, and I believe in him … But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time.”
“It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.
“As Democrats, we collectively hold our breath or turn down the volume whenever we see the president, who we respect, walk off Air Force One or walk back to a mic to answer an unscripted question.”
The Hollywood star stressed the decision comes down to age, “nothing more”.
“We are not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate,” he said.
“This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and Congress member and governor who I’ve spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly.”
With several politicians already openly calling for Mr Biden to step aside and others expressing worries, Clooney asked more come forward.
“Top Democrats - Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi - and senators, representatives and other candidates who face losing in November need to ask this president to voluntarily step aside,” he said.
The actor brushed aside worries Mr Biden’s exit would create chaos four months before an election and did not endorse a replacement candidate.
“We Democrats have a very exciting bench. We don’t anoint leaders or fall sway to a cult of personality; we vote for a president,” he said.
The party should hear from contenders such as Vice President Kamala Harris, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and others, Clooney wrote, “then we could go into the Democratic convention next month and figure it out.”
“Would it be messy? Yes. Democracy is messy. But would it enliven our party and wake up voters who, long before the June debate, had already checked out? It sure would. The short ramp to Election Day would be a benefit for us, not a danger.”
“Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024,” he concluded.
Clooney did not say whether he would withhold funding until Biden leaves, as Abigail Disney, an heiress to the Disney family fortune, did last week, along with several other wealthy donors.
“We need someone younger”
Clooney’s call was backed by Hollywood director Rob Reiner, a voiceful Democrat who also demanded days ago that Mr Biden drop out.
“My friend George Clooney has clearly expressed what many of us have been saying … Democracy is facing an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must step aside,” Reiner wrote on X.
Actor Michael Douglas, who also hosted a Hollywood fundraiser for the president in April, said Clooney had a “valid point” when asked about the editorial during an appearance Wednesday on The View TV chat show.
Douglas did not call for Mr Biden to step aside, but said he was “deeply, deeply concerned.”
“I adore the guy … and this just happens to be one of these elections that is just so crucial,” he said, adding “I don’t worry necessarily today or tomorrow, but a year down the line, I worry.”
‘Time is running short’
It comes as Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned time is running out for Mr Biden to decide whether to end his candidacy.
“It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” Pelosi said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.
“We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short.”
Despite the time crunch, Ms Pelosi said Mr Biden should delay any final decision until after NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington, which ends on Thursday.
Ms Pelosi said she couldn’t say whether Mr Biden has the overwhelming support of congressional Democrats, as she’s not in a leadership role anymore.
“But, he’s beloved, he is respected and people want him to make that decision.”
- With AFP
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