Top Democratic fundraiser Clooney asks Biden to stand down

Hollywood actor George Clooney has issued a striking call for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.

Clooney's comments, published in an op-ed for the New York Times, come just hours after senior Democrat Nancy Pelosi sidestepped direct questions about Biden's future in the race.

Clooney criticised Biden’s candidacy, stating that while the president has triumphed in many battles, he cannot overcome the challenge of time. He said “The Joe Biden I met three weeks ago was not the Biden of 2010 or even 2020,” Clooney wrote, echoing concerns voiced by many within the Democratic Party.

The call follows Pelosi’s remarks that time was “running short” for Biden, who recently stumbled in a debate against Donald Trump. Despite Biden’s repeated assertions of his determination to continue as the Democratic nominee and defeat Trump, the president faces mounting scrutiny.

Clooney’s op-ed comes after a high-profile fundraiser in Los Angeles, co-hosted by Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Barbra Streisand, which raised a record $30 million for Biden's campaign. However, Biden’s campaign has pushed back against Clooney's comments, noting that Biden had just arrived from the G7 summit in Italy and stayed for over three hours at the event.

Clooney's article stressed the need for party leaders to acknowledge the reality of Biden's age and the potential impact on the election. “This is about age. Nothing more,” Clooney argued, adding that his concerns are shared by numerous members of Congress.

The concerns within the Democratic Party have been growing, with several elected officials, including Democratic Senators Michael Bennet and Peter Welch, expressing doubts about Biden’s ability to win the election. Welch has called for Biden to withdraw "for the good of the country," while others, like Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congressman Pat Ryan, have also voiced concerns about Biden's viability.