'It's Devastating To Say It': George Clooney Demands Biden Step Aside Weeks After Hosting Fundraiser

On Wednesday, Hollywood actor and longtime Democrat fundraiser George Clooney came out against President Joe Biden's re-election bid in a New York Times op-ed. Clooney, who recently hosted a massive fundraiser for Biden with former President Barack Obama in Hollywood last month, explained that Biden is no longer the same man who served as vice president nor the same man who ran for the highest office in the land in 2020.

"I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he's won many of the battles he's faced," Clooney explained. "But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can. 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." During the Los Angeles fundraiser that Clooney hosted last month, President Biden was seen freezing up while on stage and was forced to be escorted away by President Obama, as previously reported by the DC Enquirer.

The Hollywood director then explained that Democrats often hold their breath when Biden boards Air Force One or takes an unscripted question from the press as they attempt to ignore the signs of an aging president unable to complete the duties of the presidency. Given Biden's age's impact on his ability to perform the job and the devastating impact that the debate had on his reputation, Clooney called on the president to step aside.

"This is about age. Nothing more. But also nothing that can be reversed. We are not going to win in November with this president," he wrote. "On top of that, we won't win the House, and we're going to lose the Senate. This isn't only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and congress member and governor that I've spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly."

While a handful of Democrats have come out and called upon Biden to step aside, most have explained that they will be waiting until this weekend, after a Biden press conference on Thursday, to decide whether they will publicly call upon the president to withdraw. While most elected Democrats haven't voiced their concern in public, in private, nearly every elected official believes Biden cannot defeat Trump at the ballot box in November, as previously reported by the DC Enquirer. 

Given the unwillingness of Democrats to publicly voice their opposition to Biden's candidacy, Clooney demanded that Democrats stop putting their "heads in the sand and pray[ing] for a miracle in November" and instead "speak the truth." The Hollywood actor then explained that a short primary is the next step forward to picking a viable candidate for the party's nominee. "Would it be messy? Yes. Democracy is messy," he stated. "But would it enliven our party and wake up voters who, long before the June debate, had already checked out? It sure would."

"Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024," Clooney concluded.

You can read George Clooney's full op-ed here.

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