George Clooney says Biden not the man he was in 2020, should drop out
Actor, a leading fundraiser, says he views Biden as a friend
But Clooney says Democrats cannot win in November with Biden
Updates with Hollywood fundraising background, Biden campaign response, more Clooney comments, paragraphs 6-9, 13-19
By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES, July 10 (Reuters) -Actor George Clooney, a major Hollywood fundraiser for Democrats, said on Wednesday that President Joe Biden is no longer the same person who won the White House in 2020 and said he should drop his bid for re-election.
Clooney co-hosted a star-studded fundraiser for Biden in Los Angeles in June, about two weeks before the 81-year-old president struggled through a debate with Republican former President Donald Trump, his rival in the Nov. 5 election.
"It's devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe 'big F-ing deal' Biden of 2010," Clooney wrote in the New York Times. "He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."
"Was he tired? Yes. A cold? Maybe. But our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn't see what we just saw," Clooney added.
A subsequent Biden interview with ABC journalist George Stephanopoulos "only reinforced what we saw the week before," Clooney said.
Often described as an "ATM for Democrats," Hollywood has traditionally been a significant source of donations for the party. Clooney's event, hosted with actor Julia Roberts, raised more than $30 million in what the Biden campaign said was the largest Democratic fundraiser in history.
After Biden's debate performance, several Hollywood donors called on the president to end his campaign.
Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, Disney heir Abigail Disney and filmmaker Rob Reiner are among those who have said Biden should step aside. Screenwriter Damon Lindelof proposed that his Hollywood colleagues stop writing checks to Democrats until Biden withdraws.
In Washington, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime Biden ally, said on Wednesday the president must decide quickly if he will stay in the race.
Clooney, who described himself as a lifelong Democrat, wrote: "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."
"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," Clooney wrote. "Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly."
Asked to respond, Biden's campaign referred to a letter the president sent Democrats in Congress that said he was "firmly committed" to his candidacy and beating Trump. Biden has said he had a "bad night" at the debate and vowed to stay in the race.
Clooney said leading Democrats and candidates who risk losing in November should ask Biden to drop his campaign.
The actor suggested that the party decide on a new nominee at its August convention and offered the names of several possible contenders including Vice President Kamala Harris and several state governors.
"Let’s hear from Wes Moore and Kamala Harris and Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom and Andy Beshear and J.B. Pritzker and others," Clooney said.
He also expressed admiration for Biden and said he considered him a friend.
"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 said.
"But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time."
Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Heather Timmons and Howard Goller
Relaterade tillgångar
Senaste nytt
Ansvarsfriskrivning: XM Group-enheter tillhandahåller sin tjänst enbart för exekvering och tillgången till vår onlinehandelsplattform, som innebär att en person kan se och/eller använda tillgängligt innehåll på eller via webbplatsen, påverkar eller utökar inte detta, vilket inte heller varit avsikten. Denna tillgång och användning omfattas alltid av i) villkor, ii) riskvarningar och iii) fullständig ansvarsfriskrivning. Detta innehåll tillhandahålls därför uteslutande som allmän information. Var framför allt medveten om att innehållet på vår onlinehandelsplattform varken utgör en uppmaning eller ett erbjudande om att ingå några transaktioner på de finansiella marknaderna. Handel på alla finansiella marknader involverar en betydande risk för ditt kapital.
Allt material som publiceras på denna sida är enbart avsett för utbildnings- eller informationssyften och innehåller inte – och ska inte heller anses innehålla – rådgivning och rekommendationer om finansiella frågor, investeringsskatt eller handel, dokumentation av våra handelskurser eller ett erbjudande om, eller en uppmaning till, en transaktion i finansiella instrument eller oönskade finansiella erbjudanden som är riktade till dig.
Tredjepartsinnehåll, liksom innehåll framtaget av XM såsom synpunkter, nyheter, forskningsrön, analyser, kurser, andra uppgifter eller länkar till tredjepartssajter som återfinns på denna webbplats, tillhandahålls i befintligt skick, som allmän marknadskommentar, och utgör ingen investeringsrådgivning. I den mån som något innehåll tolkas som investeringsforskning måste det noteras och accepteras att innehållet varken har varit avsett som oberoende investeringsforskning eller har utarbetats i enlighet med de rättsliga kraven för att främja ett sådant syfte, och därför är att betrakta som marknadskommunikation enligt tillämpliga lagar och föreskrifter. Se till så att du har läst och förstått vårt meddelande om icke-oberoende investeringsforskning och riskvarning om ovannämnda information, som finns här.
