Ahead of President Biden’s decision not to run again as the Democratic candidate in this year’s race, several big names in Hollywood called for his resignation.
George Clooney wrote an op-ed earlier this month explaining why he wanted Biden to step down, despite years of vocal support and fundraising from the actor.
“I love Joe Biden. As a senator, as a vice president and as a president. I consider him a friend and I believe in him. I believe in his character. I believe in his morals. Over the last four years, he has won many of the battles he has faced,” Clooney wrote in The New York Times.
“But the one battle he can’t win is the battle against time. None of us can. It’s devastating to say this, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the big f–ing deal Joe Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same guy we all saw at the debate.”
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Clooney added: “We’re not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we’re not going to win the House of Representatives and we’re going to lose the Senate. That’s not just my opinion, that’s the opinion of every senator, congressman and governor that I’ve spoken to privately. Every single one of them, regardless of what he or she says publicly.”
Read on to see other celebrities who spoke out in support of Biden’s resignation in the months leading up to his decision.
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Ashley Judd
Ashely Judd wrote an opinion piece for USA Today published on July 12, calling on Biden to “step aside voluntarily and gracefully.”
“The defense of our most precious rights and freedoms, the moral imperative to do better for more people and for our bodies, cannot be left to voters who see and are frightened by the consequences of President Biden’s obvious limitations, or who will not vote now. We risk a bad night and downplay the warning signs at our peril,” she wrote.
Judd has noted that she frequently supports Democratic campaigns alongside her Hollywood career. In 2017, she read a poem at the Women’s March titled “I Am a Nasty Woman” in which she quoted Donald Trump’s comment calling his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, “such a nasty woman” during the debate. Judd has said she lost an endorsement deal because of her commitment to speaking out against the former president.
She added later in her essay: “So because of the very real pain that millions of people would feel when [Trump] “If Biden is president again, the Democratic Party must quickly thank President Biden and support a talented and robust Democrat to be our party’s nominee. We cannot afford another day of distraction or division among ourselves.”
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John Cusack
John Cusack criticized Biden’s handling of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, expressing his views on X.
“If Biden stays in power and the numbers stay on the trajectory they’ve been on, Senate candidates will be forced to leave Biden — to keep their seats. This existential threat isn’t just about Biden — it’s about millionaires who want to hold on to power,” he wrote.
After Biden’s announcement, Cusack retweeted the president’s statement and said, “And now the fight begins.”
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Rob Reiner
“When Harry Met Sally” director Rob Reiner has called on Biden to resign in recent weeks.
“It’s time to stop messing around. If the convict wins, we lose our democracy. Joe Biden has served America with honor, decency, and dignity. It’s time for Joe Biden to resign,” he wrote in a tweet.
Cusack retweeted it, saying: “There has been no greater supporter of Biden’s domestic policies than Rob – he’s right.”
In recent days, Reiner has reiterated his view, posting: “The writing is on the wall in bold, capital letters: It is time for President Biden, for whom we have nothing but the utmost respect, to save our democracy by passing the torch to a new generation.”
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Stephen King
Horror author and icon Stephen King took to X to express his feelings about Biden in early July.
“Joe Biden has been a great president, but it is time for him – for the sake of the America he so clearly loves – to announce that he will not seek re-election,” King wrote.
King has spoken out against Trump on social media. On Saturday, the “Shawshank Redemption” author wrote: “The Republican Party has nominated a convicted felon for President of the United States. Think again.”
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Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow has called on Biden to step down multiple times since the debate.
In June, she wrote: “Biden is a good man and he has been a great president. But this upcoming election is about much more than Joe Biden. It is about the survival of American democracy.”
“If Biden can’t win – as the polls now indicate – he needs to pass the torch. We can’t give America to Trump,” she wrote on X.
She also noted that she would vote for whoever replaces him, saying: “If Biden were to resign, my commitment would be the same: I would vote for the Democrat, not the convicted felon who aspires to be a dictator and surrounds himself with sycophants, liars and other unsavory characters.”
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Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas appeared on “The View” days after Clooney’s New York Times op-ed, and he said he agreed with his fellow actor.
“I think that’s a valid point of view,” he said. “I’m deeply, deeply concerned. I mean, it’s particularly difficult because the Democrats have a deep bench, they have a lot of heavyweights, a lot of talent.”
He also shared his thoughts on Biden’s performance in the debate, saying, “And I worry because with the debate – I mean, it was relatively simple. First of all, they should have just told the president to stand up, put on a little bit of makeup for the debate, and then figure out where to look and not worry about all the facts, but just worry about [Trump’s] lies.”
Douglas did not specifically call for Biden to step down, but he said: “It’s a very difficult decision. I love the guy. Fifty years of public service, a wonderful man, and it just so happens that this is one of those elections that is just crucial. I’m not necessarily worried about today or tomorrow, but a year from now, I am worried. I’m concerned.”