Photo: Cindy Ord Getty Images/Agence France-Presse Actor George Clooney in September 2023, in New York
France Media Agency in New York
Posted at 11:45 AM Updated at 4:31 PM
- United States
He hoped to have stopped the revolt but Joe Biden faced a new surge of pressure on Wednesday, from members of his party and even from George Clooney, who asked him to leave the race for the presidency. White House.
“I like Joe Biden. But we need another candidate,” writes the actor, director and producer in a well-argued contribution for the New York Times.
George Clooney, lifelong supporter of Democratic Party, recalls having participated in mid-June in a fundraising evening for the American president.
“Last month, I co-hosted the largest fundraiser ever for a Democratic candidate,” he added.
This gala in front of Hollywood stars and donors, in the presence of former President Barack Obama, brought in $28 million, a record for the party.
The team Joe Biden's campaign then highlighted the “enthusiasm” of the influential entertainment industry. California, and its progressive bastion Hollywood, is one of the big contributors to the party's campaigns, since it also includes Silicon Valley.
The actor says he saw this gala a weakened Joe Biden, far from the candidate he was in 2020: “It’s terrible to say, but the Joe Biden with whom I was three weeks ago is not the […] Joe Biden of 2010. Not even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we saw during the failed June 27 debate against Donald Trump.
That evening, the American president appeared very confused and very tired.
“I like Joe Biden. As a senator. Vice-president and president. I consider him a friend and I believe in him. I believe in his character, his morals. “Over the last four years, he's won a lot of the battles he's had to face,” George Clooney admitted.
“But the one battle he cannot win is the one against time”, wrote the actor again in reference to the reinforced doubts about the cognitive abilities of the 81-year-old president since his catastrophic debate with Donald Trump at the end of June.
“Joe Biden is a hero, he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to save it again in 2024,” concluded the actor.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000George Clooney's exit comes after other defections in the world of cinema, which had until now been a powerful media and financial relay for Joe Biden.
On MSNBC , Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives who remains very influential, put the Democrat's back against the wall, in a subtle but relentless manner.
“Time is running out”
“It’s up to the president to decide whether he will run” in November against his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, he said. -she declared on this channel popular with Democrats. “We all encourage him to make this decision because time is of the essence. »
With this declaration, it is as if Nancy Pelosi opened a way out for the 81-year-old Democrat, who nevertheless considers that his decision has already been made: continue to campaign for a second term.
Joe Biden wrote to his party's parliamentarians on Monday to tell them that he was “firmly determined to remain in the race.”
The president, who has increased his activity since a few days, spoke briefly on Wednesday during a meeting of the main American union group, the AFL-CIO.
Then he went to the opening of a NATO summit in Washington, where French President Emmanuel Macron, himself politically weakened, gave him a hug.
It's on the sidelines of this meeting of the defense organization that Joe Biden must give a highly anticipated press conference on Thursday, because it will make it possible to gauge his mental alertness.
This will be the case also for an interview, just announced, Monday on the NBC channel.
Doubts about Joe Biden's energy and endurance are currently completely undermining his campaign team's attempts to raise awareness about Donald Trump's plans in terms of abortion rights or social rights.
Golf
The 78-year-old Republican challenged Joe Biden to to face again in debate, “man to man”, and… in golf. He accused him Tuesday at a rally in Florida of orchestrating “the largest cover-up in political history” over his health.
At least eight elected Democrats in the House of Representatives have now publicly demanded that he throw in the towel. Pat Ryan, a New York state Democrat, joined the list Wednesday calling on him to throw in the towel “for the good of the country.”
A large number of representatives and senators fear that Joe Biden will drag them down during the legislative elections in November, held at the same time as the presidential election.
Several polls made since the debate indicate that Donald Trump maintains or even widens the advantage over his Democratic rival.
A study by the Cook Political Report institute, based on 21 major opinion polls, credit the 78-year-old Republican with 47% of voting intentions nationally, compared to 44% for Joe Biden.
Kate Bedingfield, who had been one of the facilitators of Joe Biden's 2020 campaign, wrote on Wednesday on “People want to know what the strategy is,” she insisted.
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