Joe Biden’s presidential campaign pushed back on an opinion piece from actor George Clooney, in which he called for the president to step back from his re-election bid, citing signs of aging.
Clooney wrote in the New York Times that Biden's presidential debate demeanor was similar to what he witnessed during a private fundraiser he attended, calling on the president to “save democracy” by dropping out.
Per CNN, Biden's team has some thoughts of their own on the matter, which they were quick to volley back at Clooney.
“A campaign official who attended that Los Angeles fundraiser tells me that George Clooney left three hours before the president,” CNN White House correspondent Kayla Tausche said. “Clearly the gloves are off.”
CNN host Jake Tapper, who moderated the debate, and whose show has dedicated hours to discussions on the president’s age since his performance, was seemingly stunned by the campaign’s explanation.
“But what does that mean, that George Clooney left three hours . . . what’s, what’s the point?” the CNN host asked, leading Tausche to explain the implications, that Clooney had less stamina than Biden and that he may not have had enough face time with the president to draw such conclusions.
Tapper went on to argue that every passing day will see more Democratic supporters chipping away from President Biden. At the same time, some say that the worst has passed, as nearly two weeks at the top of the news cycle has failed to draw more than a handful of top Democrats away.
While public support for Biden’s withdrawal amongst Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives sits at just under 5% of the House caucus, Clooney joins prominent donors and strategists in calls against the president’s candidacy.
The actor's commentary comes as media figures field criticism for their extensive coverage of the president’s age, often at the expense of coverage of Biden's opponent Donald Trump’s campaign, despite American voters vastly unswayed by debate performance.
