George Clooney Calls on Joe Biden to End Reelection Bid

, , , 0

Clooney on Biden's reelection chances

Just 25 days after co-hosting a record-setting downtown Los Angeles fundraiser for Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, actor and major Democratic Party donor George Clooney said Wednesday the president needs to step aside amid concerns about his age and ability to run the country.

“I love Joe Biden,” Clooney wrote in an essay published Wednesday in The New York Times. “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.

“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 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.

“… This is about age. Nothing more. But also nothing that can be reversed. 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. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly.”

Clooney did not offer an opinion on who should replace Biden as the Democratic candidate, but said there should be a process for potential candidates to make a case for themselves.

George Clooney, Julia Roberts at Biden fundraiser with Obama

On June 15, Clooney co-hosted a star-studded fundraiser for Biden at the Peacock Theater in downtown L.A., raising a whopping $28 million. In addition to Clooney, actress Julia Roberts was on hand for the event, along with Jack Black, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jason Bateman and Kathryn Hahn. Jimmy Kimmel moderated a discussion between Biden and former President Barack Obama.

George Clooney and Barack Obama have been close friends since 2006, when they first bonded over their shared passion for raising awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Their friendship continued to grow over the years, with Clooney actively supporting Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.

The two men regularly text each other, engaging in “jocular” and sometimes “risque” conversations. They have also spent time together in person, with Obama visiting Clooney’s home in England for a five-hour meal and basketball game in 2017. Clooney later joked that he “shot the lights out” during their basketball match, which seemed to bother Obama.

In June 2019, the Obamas and Clooneys were spotted vacationing together in Italy, where they were seen taking a boat ride on Lake Como. Eyewitnesses described the two couples as looking like “best friends” who were “laughing the entire time and taking pictures together.”

Amal Clooney, a renowned international human rights lawyer and wife of actor George Clooney, was involved in the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Israel-Gaza conflict. This has put her at odds with the Biden administration’s stance on the matter.

Actor Rob Reiner, another major Democratic Party supporter, called on Biden to step aside over the weekend. In response to Clooney’s essay, Reiner wrote on X, “My friend George Clooney has clearly expressed what many of us have been saying. We love and respect Joe Bide. 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.”