Actor George Clooney, a high-profile Democratic donor who recently hosted a star-studded Hollywood fundraiser last month for Joe Biden that broke records, became the latest public figure to call for the incumbent president to leave the race.

What You Need To Know

  • Actor and Democratic donor George Clooney on Wednesday called on President Joe Biden to exit the race for the White House in the aftermath of his debate performance against Donald Trump last month

  • In an op-ed for The New York Times on Wednesday, Clooney, who described himself as a "lifelong Democrat," called Biden a "hero" who "saved democracy in 2020," and can do so again in November by stepping aside for a new Democratic nominee

  • President Biden has resisted calls from Democrats to step aside, repeatedly insisting that he is staying in the race

  • Clooney headlined a star-studded Hollywood fundraiser for Biden last month alongside Julia Roberts, Jimmy Kimmel and Obama that raised a record thirty-plus million dollars for the incumbent Democrat's campaign

In an op-ed for The New York Times on Wednesday, Clooney, who described himself as a "lifelong Democrat," called Biden a "hero" who "saved democracy in 2020," and can do so again in November by stepping aside for a new Democratic nominee.

"I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president," the former "ER" star wrote in his opinion piece. "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," Clooney continued. "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," referencing his offhanded 2010 remark to then-President Barack Obama about the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

"He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020," Clooney added. "He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."

Clooney expressed his fears that Biden's performance at last month's debate, which has sparked fear among Democrats in the days since, would translate to not only a return to Republican Donald Trump in November, but would quash hopes of retaking the House of Representatives and result in the U.S. Senate flipping to GOP control.

"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," Clooney charged. "Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly."

At least nine sitting congressional Democrats have publicly called on Biden to exit the race, despite his repeated insistence that he is staying on the ticket. While Democratic leaders and several other prominent figures have reiterated their support for the incumbent, the party is far from unified. Ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said earlier Wednesday that congressional Democrats are encouraging Biden Biden to make a decision soon about whether he’s remaining in the race for the White House.

“It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said during an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “We're all encouraging him to to make that decision because time is running short.” (A spokesperson for Pelosi later clarified that the California Democrat "fully supports whatever President Biden decides to do" and the party "must turn our attention" to defeating Trump.)

Clooney called on Pelosi and other leaders, namely Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to ask Biden to step aside.

"It is disingenuous, at best, to argue that Democrats have already spoken with their vote and therefore the nomination is settled and done, when we just received new and upsetting information," he said. "We all think Republicans should abandon their nominee now that he’s been convicted of 34 felonies. That’s new and upsetting information as well."

Clooney, the star of "Oceans Eleven" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," praised the "very exciting bench" of Democrats as he pleaded for a new nominee, writing: "We can easily foresee a group of several strong Democrats stepping forward to stand and tell us why they’re best qualified to lead this country and take on some of the deeply concerning trends we’re seeing from the revenge tour that Donald Trump calls a presidential campaign."

"Let’s hear from [Maryland Gov.] Wes Moore and [Vice President] Kamala Harris and [Michigan Gov.] Gretchen Whitmer and [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom and [Kentucky Gov.] Andy Beshear and [Illinois Gov.] J.B. Pritzker and others," the former "Batman" wrote. "Let’s agree that the candidates not attack one another but, in the short time we have, focus on what will make this country soar. Then we could go into the Democratic convention next month and figure it out."

"Would it be messy? Yes," said Clooney, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for "Syriana" in 2005. "Democracy is messy. But would it enliven our party and wake up voters who, long before the June debate, had already checked out? It sure would. The short ramp to Election Day would be a benefit for us, not a danger. It would give us the chance to showcase the future without so much opposition research and negative campaigning that comes with these ridiculously long and expensive election seasons."

"This can be an exciting time for democracy, as we’ve just seen with the 200 or so French candidates who stepped aside and put their personal ambitions on hold to save their democracy from the far right," he concluded. "Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024."

Clooney headlined a star-studded Hollywood fundraiser for Biden last month alongside Julia Roberts, Jimmy Kimmel and Obama that raised a record thirty-plus million dollars for the incumbent Democrat's campaign.