Movie star and lifelong Democrat George Clooney has joined the chorus of voices calling for Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race, speaking at a fundraiser just a few weeks ago. Record Harvest in One Night for the President's reelection campaign.
Clooney is New York Times opinion piece He said he loves Biden, but if he becomes the nominee, the party would lose control of Congress as well as the presidency.
“This is not just my opinion, it is the opinion of every senator, congressman and governor I have personally spoken to,” wrote Clooney, who has hosted several big-ticket Hollywood fundraisers, including one for Biden last month.
Clooney argued that a new nominee should be chosen at the party's convention next month, saying the process would be “disruptive” but would “awaken” the party's voters, and named Vice President Kamala Harris, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and California Governor Gavin Newsom as candidates the country should hear from now.
Associated Press Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports that one of President Biden's most prominent Hollywood supporters is joining the calls for the president to not run for reelection.
Clooney spent much of his article focusing on Biden's age, pointing out the contrast between the 81-year-old president seen at a recent event in Los Angeles and past presidents.
“It shocks me to say this, but the Joe Biden I was sitting with at a fundraiser three weeks ago was not the 'big' Joe Biden of 2010,” Clooney wrote. “He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same guy we all witnessed at the debates.”
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Last month, Clooney Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand They were among those who took to the stage at a fundraiser that raised a record-breaking more than $30 million for Biden, seeking to galvanize potential supporters for what could be one of the most consequential races for the White House in U.S. history.
He's not the only one to describe Clooney's recent exchange with Biden in this way.
People close to Biden said the president was energetic and engaging at a fundraiser in March, but noticed Biden's presence was noticeably diminished at an event in Los Angeles a few months later.
The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private interactions with the president, recalled being struck by how tired and “dazed” the president seemed during conversations backstage at the Los Angeles event, adding that people didn't trust Biden even though he seemed less eloquent and less energetic backstage because he arrived in Los Angeles from Italy to attend an international summit.
Asked for comment on Clooney's essay, the Biden campaign pointed to a letter the president sent to Democratic lawmakers earlier this week vowing to continue his campaign.
His team also disputed the actor's portrayal of Biden's behavior during a fundraiser in Los Angeles, pointing out that a campaign official who attended the event said the president was there for more than three hours despite having just returned from Europe.
Celebrities in the entertainment industry The push to support the Biden campaign is growingAhead of the fundraiser, Clooney's name appeared on numerous fundraising documents from the campaign he called “the biggest fight of my life.”
Representatives for Clooney did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on his decision, when exactly he made it or how recently he spoke with Biden.
Biden has refused to abandon his reelection bid after his poor performance in the June 27 debate with Republican front-runner Donald Trump.
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Kinard reported from Chapin, South Carolina. Contact http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
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Associated Press writer Aamer Madani contributed to this report from Washington.
