Joe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race ahead of the November election, Hollywood star and self-described “lifelong Democrat” George Clooney wrote in an opinion piece for the New York Times published on Wednesday.
The US president has been facing calls to step aside ever since his poor performance in a TV debate with Republican challenger Donald Trump two weeks ago. Biden has repeatedly brushed off concerns about his ability to win in November and says he is determined to stay in the race.
Read more: Biden vows to beat Trump ‘again in 2020’
In his piece titled ‘I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee’, Clooney called on Democrats and Biden himself to face reality and admit that the real Biden was the one seen at the debate. “Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw.”
In the article, Clooney repeatedly stated his commitment to the Democratic Party and praised Biden on multiple occasions, but said that “the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time.”
Read more: Putin weighs in on Biden-Trump debate
“We are not going to win in November with this president,” Clooney wrote, adding that the Democrats “opted to ignore every warning sign.” He also stated that if Biden remains on the ticket, the party could lose both the House and Senate as well.
According to Clooney, that opinion is shared by “every senator and Congress member and governor that I’ve spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly.”
Clooney then named Vice President Kamala Harris, Maryland Governor Wesley Moore, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and Illinois Governor Jay Robert Pritzker among those who could potentially replace Biden.
The actor urged “top Democrats” – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – to ask Biden to “voluntary step aside.”
On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told journalists that Biden was determined to stay in office for a full second term if reelected. The president himself also said earlier that he was “firmly committed” to winning and that he was “not going anywhere.”
The same day, Politico published a poll showing that Biden would lose the election to Trump.