Biden ends 2024 campaign: George Clooney, Ashley Judd among stars who called for president to step down
Prior to President Biden’s decision to not seek re-election as the Democratic nominee in this year’s race, several top names in Hollywood called for him to step down.
George Clooney penned an op-ed earlier in the month explaining why he wanted Biden to step aside, despite years of vocal support and fundraising from the actor.
"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. In the last four years, he’s won many of the battles he’s faced," Clooney wrote in the New York Times.
"But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. 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. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."
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Clooney continued, "We are not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate. This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and Congress member and governor who I’ve spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly."
Read on for other celebrities who spoke in favor of Biden stepping down in the months leading up to his decision.
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Ashely Judd wrote an opinion piece for USA Today published on July 12, asking for Biden to "voluntarily, gracefully step aside."
"The defense of our cherished rights and freedoms, the moral imperative that we do better by more people, and our bodies, cannot be left to voters who see and are frightened of the consequences of President Biden’s obvious limitations, or who are now not going to vote. We take the risk of an off night and minimize the warning signs at our gravest peril," she wrote.
Judd noted she has been a frequent supporter of Democrat 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 said she lost an endorsement deal for her commitment to speaking out against the former president.
She added later in her essay, "Thus, because of the very real hurt millions of people would feel when [Trump] is president again, the Democratic Party must not delay in thanking President Biden and supporting a talented, robust Democrat to be our party’s nominee. We do not have another day for distraction or division among ourselves."
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John Cusack has been critical of Biden’s handling of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, expressing his views on X.
"If Biden stays in and the numbers stay on the trajectory they are going senate candidates will be forced to walk away from Biden - to maintain their seats - This existential threat is not just about Biden - it’s the millionaire operatives who want to hold onto power," he wrote.
Following Biden’s announcement, Cusack retweeted the president’s statement and said, "And now the fight begins."
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"When Harry Met Sally" director Rob Reiner has called for Biden to step down in recent weeks.
"It’s time to stop f--king around. If the Convicted Felon wins, we lose our Democracy. Joe Biden has effectively served US with honor, decency, and dignity. It’s time for Joe Biden to step down," he wrote in a tweet.
Cusack retweeted him, saying, "There has been no bigger supporter of Biden‘s domestic policy than Rob - he’s right."
In the past few days, Reiner reiterated his point, posting, "The handwriting is on the wall in bold capital letters: It’s time for President Biden, for whom we have nothing but the greatest respect, to save our Democracy by passing the torch to a new generation."
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Horror author and icon Stephen King took to X to express his feelings about Biden in early July.
"Joe Biden has been a fine president, but it’s time for him—in the interests of the America he so clearly loves—to announce he will not run for 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 as their candidate for President of the United States. Let that sink in."
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Mia Farrow has demanded Biden step aside several times since the debate.
In June, she wrote, "Biden is a good man 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 cannot win - as the polls now indicate - he must pass the torch. We cannot give America to Trump," she wrote on X.
She also noted she would vote for whoever replaced him, stating, "If Biden should step down, my commitment is the same- I vote for the Democrat, not the convicted criminal wannabe be dictator who surrounds himself with sycophants, liars & other unsavory characters."
Michael Douglas made an appearance on "The View" in the days after Clooney’s New York Times op-ed, and he said he agreed with his fellow actor.
"I think it’s a valid point, he said. "I’m deeply, deeply concerned. I mean, it's especially difficult because the Democrats have a big bench, they’ve got a lot of heavy hitters, a lot of talent."
He also shared his thoughts on Biden’s debate performance, saying, "And I do 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 a little makeup on for the debate and then where to look and just don’t deal with all of your facts, just deal with [Trump’s] lies."
Douglas did not specifically call for Biden to withdraw, but he did say, "This is such a tough one. I adore the guy. Fifty years of public service, a wonderful guy, and this just happens to be one of these elections that’s just so crucial. I don’t necessarily worry about today or tomorrow, but a year down the line, I worry. I am concerned."