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Actor George Clooney, a high-profile Biden supporter and fundraiser, asks president to leave race

  • The Associated Press

  • Canadian Press

  • July 10, 2024

FILE - Director George Clooney attends a special screening of "The Boys in the Boat," Dec. 13, 2023, in New York. Celebrities including Clooney are increasingly lending their star power to President Joe Biden, hoping to energize fans to vote for him in November 2024 or entice donors to open their checkbooks for his reelection campaign. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Movie star and lifelong Democrat George Clooney added his voice to calls for Joe Biden to leave the presidential race on Wednesday.

Clooney said in a New York Times opinion piece that he loves Biden, but the party would lose the presidential race as well as any control in Congress with him as the nominee.

"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," wrote Clooney. He's hosted several high-dollar Hollywood fundraisers, including for Biden last month.

Clooney argued the party should pick a new nominee at its convention next month, saying the process would be "messy" but "wake up" voters in the party's favor.

Biden has refused to end his reelection bid after his weak debate performance against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.