Table of Contents
A growing number of influential celebrities are calling for President Biden to step aside and not run for re-election amid growing concerns about whether the president is fit to serve a second term and capable of defeating Donald Trump after his disastrous debate performance.
Lifetime Democrat George Clooney became the latest celebrity to push for Biden to drop out of the race with an explosive op-ed in the New York Times on Wednesday.
Just a few weeks ago, the celebrated actor headlined a fundraiser for the president’s re-election campaign, where he was photographed alongside Biden.
He joins a group of revered names across the entertainment industry, with a large Democratic presence, calling for a new party candidate to take on Trump this fall.
George Clooney wrote in a New York Times op-ed that Democrats need a new candidate just weeks after headlining a fundraiser for Biden.
While political strategists are skeptical about the impact celebrity endorsements have on political campaigns, Clooney’s op-ed calling for Biden’s ouster carries weight in his account of his firsthand experience with the president last month.
“That’s devastating, that’s devastating,” said David Axelrod, a longtime Obama adviser.
Clooney is also not the only celebrity who has been in close proximity to Biden in recent months and who has asked him to step aside.
Here are all the Democratic celebrities calling for Biden to step down:
George Clooney
Actor George Clooney, who headlined a fundraiser for Biden on June 15 in Los Angeles, wrote in the New York Times that he loves Biden but that the party needs a new candidate.
“It’s devastating to say, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not ‘big deal’ Joe.” “The Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all saw at the debate,” Clooney wrote.
Clooney said that despite what Democratic lawmakers say publicly, those he spoke to agree with him behind closed doors.
The actor concluded: “Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024.”
President Biden with George Clooney, Julia Roberts and former President Obama at a fundraiser last month
Rob Reiner
Filmmaker Ron Reiner has also called for Biden to resign.
The Oscar-nominated director and producer wrote in X on Sunday: “It’s time to stop wasting time. If the convicted felon wins, we will lose our democracy. Joe Biden has served America effectively with honor, decency and dignity. It’s time for Joe Biden to resign.”
The man behind When Harry Met Sally applauded Clooney for speaking out in a separate post on Wednesday.
He also wrote: “We love and respect Joe Biden. We recognize all he has done for our country. But democracy faces an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must step aside.”
Director Rob Reiner called for Biden to step aside. He said democracy faces an “existential threat” and they need someone younger than Biden to fight back.
John Cusack
John Cusack has been sounding the alarm for some time now.
The actor, who has been critical of Biden’s handling of Gaza, expressed his agreement with Reiner’s call for Biden to resign on July 8.
Cusack replied to Reiner on X, writing: ‘There has been no greater supporter of Biden’s domestic policy than Rob; he’s right.’
Mia Farrow
Actress and activist Mia Farrow posted a simple message on X: “It’s time to pass the torch.”
He warned that if not, “we will lose the Senate, the House and our democracy.”
Farrow posted a second post on X, saying she would vote for Biden if he didn’t resign, but argued that “he’s losing. We can NEVER hand our country over to Trump.”
“I hope he nominates another talented Democrat who will continue Joe Biden’s great accomplishments and win,” he said.
Actress Mia Farrow said it was time to “pass the torch” to X or risk losing democracy
Stephen King
Author Stephen King on Monday called for Biden to drop out of the race.
“Joe Biden has been a great president, but it is time for him, for the benefit of the America he clearly loves, to announce that he will not run for reelection,” King wrote in X.
Michael Moore
Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore used his podcast to call on Biden to drop out of the race.
While Moore has been a critic of some of Biden’s policies, the 70-year-old liberal praised Biden’s record during his first term but argued that Biden should step aside to stop Trump.
Moore posted on X that by dropping out of the race, she would be helping to make it possible for the first woman to occupy the Oval Office. She said Vice President Kamala Harris will complete the mission and that Biden must “do the right thing.”
Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore made a ‘plea’ for Biden to drop out of the presidential race on his podcast in an effort to defeat Trump.
Esteban Colbert
Late-night host Stephen Colbert suggested in an opening monologue this week that Biden should resign, just months after moderating a conversation with Biden and former presidents Obama and Clinton at a fundraiser in New York City in late March.
“Self-sacrifice requires a particular kind of courage, and I think Joe Biden is capable of that courage,” Colbert said on his show.
“I think he’s a good enough man, a good enough president, to put the needs of the country ahead of the needs of his ego,” he continued.
“And as painful as it may be, it may be that handing over leadership to a younger generation is the right thing to do for the common good.”
Stephen Colbert (far left) with Presidents Biden, Obama and Clinton at a campaign fundraiser on March 28 in New York City.
Jon Stewart
Comedian Jon Stewart stopped short of calling for Biden to leave the race, but he did lash out at the president and Democrats on Monday when they responded to calls for Biden to drop out of the race.
Steward rejected arguments that it is too close to Election Day for Biden to resign, shouting that four months is “forever.”
He said he wasn’t saying Biden should drop out, but questioned: “Can’t we test this candidacy? Can’t we open up the conversation?”
