Actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner's remarks urging President Joe Biden to step down from his reelection campaign have gone viral amid mounting pressure.
Biden, the presumptive 2024 Democratic candidate, is expected to face off against Republican rival Donald Trump this November. However, the 81-year-old incumbent's shaky debate performance last month against Trump has raised doubts about his age and mental acuity.
During the televised clash hosted by CNN, a number of viewers stated that Biden sounded hoarse and lacked energy throughout the night. A Biden aide told Newsweek that the president was battling a cold at the time. Biden himself blamed his poor execution on failing to "listen" to his staff and instead, deciding "to travel around the world a couple of times" before the debate, telling supporters at a fundraiser in Virginia last week that he "almost fell asleep on stage."
In the aftermath of the debate, some Democrats called for Biden's replacement by a new candidate before November's Election Day over his faltering performance.
George Clooney counted himself among that faction in a July 10 New York Times op-ed titled, "I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee." In it, the Oscar winner wrote that while he considers Biden "a friend" and does "believe in him," Democrats "are not going to win in November with this president."
Sharing a link to the article on X, formerly Twitter, Reiner echoed that sentiment, writing: "My friend George Clooney has clearly expressed what many of us have been saying."
"We love and respect Joe Biden," Reiner added. "We acknowledge all he has done for our country. But Democracy is facing an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must step aside."
As of press time, the post had garnered more than 3 million views. Newsweek reached out to representatives of Biden and Reiner via email for comment.
This is not the first time that When Harry Met Sally... director Reiner has spoken about Biden's debate performance and how it may affect the election.
"Last night's debate was a disaster for President Biden," he said in a June 28 X post. "But the choice is still crystal clear: We either can choose a good decent man who cares about his fellow citizens and knows how to govern, or a Convicted Felon who will destroy our Democracy. Not a tough choice."
On July 7, Reiner, who is a frequent critic of Trump, publicly expressed his desire to see another nominee replace Biden.
"It's time to stop f****** around," he wrote on X. "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."
Mueller, She Wrote podcaster Allison Gill, a military veteran who worked at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, responded by saying that Reiner's take was "disappointing," adding that Biden was "up in swing states since the debate. Regardless, we all have to vote for the Dem no matter who it is."
"I agree with that," Reiner responded. "If Biden refuses to step aside, I'm 100% behind him."
Reiner's tentative support for Biden as the 2024 Democratic candidate continued on July 9, after the president made an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe and insisted he was not backing out of the high-stakes race.
"If we see the Joe Biden that appeared on Morning Joe today every day until Nov.5, he'll be able to shut up people like me who think he should step aside," Reiner wrote on X.
Clooney's New York Times op-ed came just weeks after the star headlined a fundraiser for Biden's reelection campaign.
"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.
"We are not going to win in November with this president," he continued. "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. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly."
The actor added that "one battle [Biden] 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."
Clooney also called for new candidates to enter the race ahead of August's Democratic National Convention.
"Would it be messy? Yes. Democracy is messy," he wrote. "But would it enliven our party and wake up voters who, long before the June debate, had already checked out? It sure would.
"The short ramp to Election Day would be a benefit for us, not a danger. It would give us the chance to showcase the future without so much opposition research and negative campaigning that comes with these ridiculously long and expensive election seasons."
Earlier this week, Biden sent a letter to congressional Democrats in which he vowed to remain in the race.
"The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it's time for it to end," Biden stated. "I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump."
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