George Clooney and first Democrat senator call on Biden to step aside

Though 'devastating' to admit it, US President not the same man he met in 2010, actor says

George Clooney is a high profile donor and fundraiser for the Democrats. AFP

American actor and major supporter of the Democratic Party George Clooney has called on Joe Biden to end his bid for re-election and step aside, in another high-profile loss for the US President.

The US celebrity recently co-hosted “the single largest fund-raiser supporting any Democratic candidate ever” for Mr Biden - but he said that played a part in his decision.

“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 that I’ve spoken with in private,” Clooney said on Wednesday.

Though he said it was “devastating” to admit it, the President was not the same man he had met in 2010.

“He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” Clooney wrote in a New York Times op-ed.

The June fund-raiser featured Democratic and celebrity powerhouses, including former president Barack Obama, actress Julia Roberts and comedian Jimmy Kimmel.

US media reported that the event raised more than $30 million for Mr Biden and his campaign.

Clooney joins a small but growing number of powerful Democrats both in and outside Washington who are pleading with the President to step aside after, by his own admission, almost “falling asleep” on the debate stage, where he faced off against Donald Trump.

On Wednesday evening, Democratic Senator Peter Welch said Mr Biden should end his bid for re-election, writing in an op-ed in The Washington Post that he was asking the President to step aside "for the good of the country".

So far, eight members of Congress have publicly called on Mr Biden to step aside, and many more have expressed concerns and doubts about what his candidacy could mean for the election.

But Mr Biden has so far refused to step aside and party leadership appears to be rallying behind him – though there are signs of significant dissent.

Former speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi also suggested her confidence in Mr Biden's re-election odds may be waning.

“It’s up to the President to decide if he is going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short,” Ms Pelosi told MSNBC.

Despite party leadership declaring on Tuesday that they are “riding with Biden”, dissent from Democrats continues to grow on Capitol Hill.

Congressional Black Caucus member Ritchie Torres told CNN on Wednesday: “If we are going on a political suicide mission, then we should at least be honest about it.” ⁦

Michael Bennett, a Colorado senator, told the network on Tuesday night that “Donald Trump is on track to win this election”.

“I think we could lose the whole thing and it's staggering to me,” he said.