Before President Biden decided not to run for reelection as a Democrat this year, several Hollywood heavyweights called for his resignation.
George Clooney penned an editorial earlier this month explaining why the actor should step down despite years of support and fundraising for Biden.
“I love Joe Biden. As a senator, as vice president, as president. I consider him a friend. I trust him. I trust his character. I trust his morality. He has won many of the battles he has faced over the past four years,” Clooney wrote in The New York Times.
“But the only fight he can’t win is the fight against time. None of us can win. It’s sad to say, but the Joe Biden that we were with at that fundraiser three weeks ago was not the ‘big F-ing deal’ Joe Biden of 2010. He’s not the Joe Biden of 2020. He’s the same guy that we all saw in the debates.”
Hollywood Stars React to President Biden’s 2024 Primary Elimination
George Clooney was one of the major Hollywood figures to call for President Biden’s resignation following his comments during the recent presidential debate. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Clooney added, “We are not going to win in November with this president. We are not going to win the House, and we are not going to win the Senate. That’s not just my opinion. That’s the opinion of every senator, congressman, governor that I’ve talked to privately. That’s what everybody says publicly.”
Read about other celebrities who supported Biden’s resignation in the months leading up to his decision.
George Clooney’s Hollywood Career in the Spotlight After President Biden’s Call for Resignation
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd wrote an op-ed asking Biden to “step down voluntarily and gracefully.” (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
In an opinion piece published July 12 in USA Today, Ashley Judd called on Biden to “step down voluntarily and gracefully.”
“The moral imperative to defend our cherished rights and freedoms, and to do better for more people and our bodies, cannot be left to voters who fear the consequences of a Biden presidency’s obvious limitations or who will not vote now. We risk staying up all night and putting ourselves at greater risk to minimize the warning signs,” she wrote.
Judd has noted that, in addition to her Hollywood work, she has frequently supported Democratic campaigns. In 2017, she read a poem at the Women’s March titled “I’m a Bad Woman,” in which she quoted Donald Trump’s remark during a debate in which he called his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton a “very bad woman.” Judd has said she lost an endorsement deal because she voiced her opposition to the former president.
She added later in the essay, “Therefore, because of the very real hurt that millions will feel if (Trump) is president again, Democrats should not delay in appreciating President Biden and endorsing a talented and strong Democrat as our party’s nominee. We cannot afford another day of distraction or division among ourselves.”
Ashley Judd Reveals Leg Fracture After Mother’s Death Was Due to Grief-Related Clumsiness
John Cusack
John Cusack has been critical of Biden not only as a Democratic candidate, but also for his handling of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. (Laura McDermott/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
John Cusack has criticized Biden’s handling of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and has voiced his views on X.
“If Biden stays and his approval ratings continue on their current trajectory, Senate candidates will have to unseat Biden to keep their seats. This existential threat is not just to Biden, it’s to the millionaire faction that wants to hold onto power,” he wrote.
Following Biden’s announcement, Cusack retweeted the president’s statement, saying, “And now the fight begins.”
John Cusack says Democratic elites have been “selling out the working class for decades.” They are “bullshitheads.”
Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner, director of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” has been calling for Biden’s resignation for weeks. (Paul Archuleta)
Rob Reiner, director of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” has called for Biden’s resignation in recent weeks.
“It’s time to stop this bullshit. When a convicted felon wins, we lose our democracy. Joe Biden has served us effectively, with honor, decency, and dignity. It’s time for Joe Biden to go,” he tweeted.
Cusack retweeted him, writing, “No one has been a bigger supporter of Biden’s domestic policies than Rob. He’s right.”
“The writing is on the wall in bold capital letters: It’s time for President Biden, for whom we have the greatest respect, to save our democracy by passing the torch to a new generation,” Reiner posted over the past few days, echoing his point.
Do you like what you’re reading? Click here for more entertainment news
Stephen King
Stephen King wrote in X, “Joe Biden has been a great president, but the time has come for him to announce that, for the good of the America he so clearly loves, he will not run for reelection.” (Lou Rocco/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Horror author and icon Stephen King expressed his feelings about Biden via X in early July.
“Joe Biden has been a great president, but the time has come for him to announce that, for the sake of the America he so clearly loves, he will not run for reelection,” King wrote.
King has been vocal about 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. Get this.”
Click here to sign up for our entertainment newsletter
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow said Biden was a “good guy and he’s been a great president,” but she hoped he would step down for the sake of “American democracy.” (Jamie McCarthy/Wireimage)
Mia Farrow has called on Biden to step down several times since the debate.
In June, she wrote, “Biden is a good guy and he has been a great president. But the upcoming election is about much more than Joe Biden. It is about the survival of American democracy.”
“If Biden can’t win — and the polls say he can — he needs to pass the torch. We can’t give America to Trump,” she wrote on X.
She also said that if Biden steps down, her platform will remain the same and she will vote for a Democrat, not a convicted criminal and would-be dictator who consorts with sycophants, liars and other unsavory characters.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Michael Douglas
Actor Michael Douglas told “The View” co-hosts he’s worried about whether President Biden can win reelection. (Screenshot/ABC)
After Clooney’s New York Times column came out, Michael Douglas appeared on “The View” and agreed with his co-star’s comments.
“I think that’s a valid point,” he said. “I’m very, very concerned. It’s particularly difficult because the Democrats have a large majority and they have a lot of power and talent.”
He also shared his thoughts on Biden’s debate performance, saying, “And I’m worried about the debates. I mean, they were relatively simple. First of all, they had to tell the president to stand up and put on some makeup for the debate and tell him where to look, and not cover all the facts, but cover (Trump’s) lies.”
Douglas did not specifically call for Biden to resign, but said, “This is a really tough call. I like the guy. He’s a great guy who’s been in public service for 50 years, and this is one of those elections that’s really important. I’m not necessarily worried about today or tomorrow, but I’m worried about a year from now. I’m worried.”
