George Clooney urges Biden to step aside for 2024

Hollywood actor and prominent Democratic fundraiser George Clooney has urged President Joe Biden to step aside for the 2024 election, citing concerns over Biden's ability to defeat Donald Trump. In a New York Times op-ed, Clooney, who recently raised over $30 million at a Los Angeles fundraiser, expressed his deep respect for Biden but emphasized that the president's recent debate performance was indicative of a broader decline.

Clooney recounted his recent interaction with Biden at the fundraiser, noting, “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.” Clooney dismissed explanations for Biden's poor debate performance, asserting that the event highlighted serious concerns about Biden's stamina and readiness for another campaign.

Clooney stated bluntly, “We are not going to win with this president,” and stressed that his appeal was made with reluctance. He acknowledged Biden's significant political achievements but argued that age was an unbeatable adversary: “The one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can.”

 

 

 

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Clooney's comments come amid ongoing debates within the Democratic Party about Biden's health and viability. Senior Democrats are grappling with how to persuade Biden to reconsider his candidacy. Clooney criticized party leaders for their inaction, urging them to confront Biden directly: “Most of our members of Congress are opting to wait and see if the dam breaks. But the dam has broken. We can put our heads in the sand and pray for a miracle in November, or we can speak the truth.”

Despite his criticism, Clooney praised Biden’s past efforts, particularly his role in the 2020 election, stating, “Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024.”

Clooney's plea follows a recent disagreement with the White House over Biden's criticism of the international criminal court's arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Clooney, whose wife Amal Clooney worked on the case, had previously voiced his concerns directly to Biden’s counsel, Steve Ricchetti.

Nevertheless, Clooney continued to support the Democratic campaign, hosting a major fundraising event featuring both Biden and former President Barack Obama.

[Source: The Guardian]