George Clooney implores Biden to quit presidential race

George Clooney, Hollywood actor and prominent Democratic fundraiser, has implored US President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race. 

Clooney made the call in a New York Times opinion piece published on Wednesday and titled: ‘I love Joe Biden. But we need a new nominee’.

The request also comes just weeks after the producer headlined a major fundraiser for Biden’s re-election campaign.

Concerns about Biden’s re-election bid heightened after his shaky debate performance against Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party.

Biden, 81, blamed a cold and jet lag for his feeble performance.

A slew of Democrats have however privately and publicly expressed fears that their party could lose the White House with Biden at the top of the ticket.

“I love Joe Biden. 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,” Clooney wrote.

The actor said the Biden he saw during the June 15 fundraiser, which also included former President Barack Obama, “was not the Joe big F-ing deal Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020″.

The Hollywood star said Biden has won many battles in the last four years but “the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time”.

“He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” Clooney opined.

“Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw.

“This is about age. Nothing more. We are not going to win in November with this president.”

Clooney added that his concerns matched those of “every member of congress” he has spoken with.

The actor’s comments also come after Nancy Pelosi, former house speaker, said time was “running short” on Biden to decide whether to stay in the race or not.

But the president has repeatedly said he is confident of beating Trump and would remain in the race.

“I don’t walk as easily as I used to, I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to, and I don’t debate as well as I used to. But what I do know is how to tell the truth,” Biden told a cheering crowd after the debate.

The US president acknowledged that age affected his fluency during the debate but insisted that he “could do the job”.

The White House said the reasons Biden cited were not excuses but provided context for the situation.

The presidency also added that Biden is “clear-eyed” and would stay in the race.