Movie 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 fundraiser that brought a single night record 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.
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 It is Barbara Streisand were among those who took the stage at a fundraiser that raised a record more than $30 million for Biden, hoping to energize potential supporters for a White House race they say could be among the most important of the year. US history.
Clooney is not alone in characterizing his recent exchange with Biden.
One person who interacted closely with Biden described the president as vibrant and engaging at a fundraiser in March, but at the Los Angeles event months later said he noticed a noticeable decrease in Biden’s presence.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private interactions with the president, recalled being struck by how tired and “out of it” the president seemed during backstage conversations at the Los Angeles event, adding that They gave Biden the benefit of the doubt for not being as volatile and showing less energy off stage because he arrived in Los Angeles after traveling from Italy where he participated in an international summit.
Luminaries of the world of entertainment 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.
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Kinnard reported from Chapin, South Carolina. She can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
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Aamer Madhani contributed to this story from Washington.
