George Clooney penned an Op-Ed in 'The New York Times' calling on President Joe Biden to 'save democracy' by stepping aside.
George Clooney is calling on President Joe Biden to end his re-election bid and allow democrats to appoint a presumptive nominee for the upcoming presidential election against the presumptive Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.
The 63-year-old actor voiced his concern over Biden's age and stamina in an Op-Ed that was published on Wednesday in The New York Times. Chief among Clooney's concerns was Biden's performance during the first presidential debate just two weeks ago, in which he flubbed early remarks and performed with a hoarse voice. Clooney said those concerns were only exacerbated during Biden's primetime interview last week with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.
"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 writes. "We're all so terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term that we've opted to ignore every warning sign. The George Stephanopoulos interview only reinforced what we saw the week before."
Clooney, a self-described lifelong Democrat who has been the architect behind some of the democrats' biggest fundraisers in the party's history, underscored his admiration for Biden and the work he's accomplished over the last four years. But there's one battle Clooney says Biden can't win, and that's the battle against Father Time, a notion Clooney says was first reaffirmed during his star-studded fundraiser for Biden last month, featuring Clooney, Biden, former President Barack Obama and Jimmy Kimmel.
"The one battle he cannot win is the fight against time," Clooney said. "None of us can. 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. He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."
Clooney insists that Biden step aside and allow democrats to pick a new presumptive nominee. He called on a slew of elected officials -- from Vice President Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom -- to step forward "and tell us why they're best qualified to lead this country."
"Then we could go into the Democratic convention next month and figure it out," Clooney explained of his blueprint for a path forward.
Clooney is far from the only notable figure who has called on Biden to end his re-election campaign. Clooney's friend and Hollywood giant Rob Reiner echoed the Ocean's Eleven star's remarks in a tweet that included a link to Clooney's Op-Ed.
"My friend George Clooney has clearly expressed what many of us have been saying," Reiner tweeted. "We love and respect Joe Biden. We acknowledge all he has done for our country. But Democracy is facing an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must step aside."
For his part, Biden emphatically said last week -- ahead of his Stephanopoulos interview -- that he's staying in the race.
Biden tweeted, "Let me say this as clearly as I can: I'm the sitting President of the United States. I'm the nominee of the Democratic party. I'm staying in the race."
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