MMovie star and longtime Democrat George Clooney added his voice to calls for Joe Biden to leave the presidential race on Wednesday, just weeks after headlining a record-breaking single-night fundraiser for the president’s re-election campaign.
Clooney said in a New York Times op-ed that he loves Biden, but the party would lose the presidential race as well as any control in Congress if he were the nominee.
“This is not just my opinion; This is the opinion of every senator, congressman and governor I have spoken to privately,” Clooney wrote. He has hosted several high-dollar fundraisers in Hollywood, including for Biden last month.
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Clooney argued that the party should choose a new candidate at its convention next month, saying the process would be “messy” but would “wake up” voters in the party’s favor, mentioning Vice President Kamala Harris and governors. Wes Moore of Maryland, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Gavin Newsom of California are among those the country should hear from now.
Focusing much of his article on Biden’s age, Clooney noted differences he saw in the 81-year-old president during his recent event in Los Angeles compared to years past.
“It’s devastating to say this, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the ‘big deal’ Joe Biden of 2010,” Clooney wrote. of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed in the debate.”
Last month, Clooney, Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand were among those who took the stage for a fundraiser that raised a record more than $30 million for Biden, hoping to energize potential supporters for a run for the White House that they said could rank among the most important in US history.
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Luminaries from the entertainment world have increasingly lined up to help Biden’s campaign. Before the fundraiser, Clooney’s name appeared on numerous fundraising letters for the campaign, which he called “the fight of our lives.”
Clooney’s representatives did not immediately return a message seeking comment on his decision, when exactly he made it or how long ago he spoke with Biden.
Biden refused to end his re-election bid following his poor debate performance against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump on June 27.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
