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WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden was stunned on Wednesday when actor and leading Democratic supporter George Clooney urged him to abandon his re-election bid and party heavyweight Nancy Pelosi refused to endorse his candidacy.
As the 81-year-old tries to demonstrate his leadership skills at a NATO summit in Washington, Biden faces growing pressure to resign following his poor debate performance against Republican challenger Donald Trump.
Biden had been trying to stem a growing tide of Democrats saying he could not win in November, but Clooney’s unexpected intervention crushed efforts to turn the page on the crisis.
The Hollywood star New York Times Just three weeks ago, he co-hosted a major fundraiser in Los Angeles that raised nearly $30 million for Biden.
“It’s heartbreaking to say it, but the Joe Biden who was with me at the fundraiser three weeks ago is not the same ‘big shot’ Joe Biden from 2010,” Clooney wrote.
“He’s not even the Joe Biden of 2020. He’s still the same guy we saw in the debate.”
Clooney said Biden will lose the presidential election and the Democrats will lose both houses of Congress.
Biden looked a little tired as he took the stage with former President Barack Obama at a June 15 fundraiser in Los Angeles hosted by Clooney and movie star Julia Roberts.
He flew to California directly after attending the G7 summit in Italy and blamed jet lag and a cold for his poor performance in the televised debate with Donald Trump on June 27.
Fellow actor Michael Douglas also said on Wednesday he was “deeply” concerned about Biden’s prospects.
In response to Clooney’s editorial, the Biden campaign pointed to a statement the president issued Monday in which he said he was “committed” to running again in November.
Biden, who has made few media appearances for much of his presidency, will also give a new interview to NBC on Monday in an effort to persuade voters.
‘Extremely negative’
Despite widespread but less-than-enthusiastic support for Biden from top Democrats on Tuesday, Biden’s efforts to stop the bleeding appear increasingly futile.
Former House Speaker Pelosi, 86, has received a cool response to his candidacy, telling MSNBC: “It’s up to the president whether he runs.”
Although Biden pledged last Monday to continue his campaign, she said: “We all encourage him to make a decision because time is running out.”
Pelosi said Biden should delay a final decision until after NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington, which ends Thursday with the president’s much-anticipated news conference.
Other NATO leaders appeared to gather around Biden as he greeted them on arrival.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who is also under intense pressure after calling an early election with the results still inconclusive, embraced the elderly man at the podium and shook his hand tightly.
Biden opened the summit on Tuesday with a powerful speech promising to provide Ukraine with a new air defense system, with only a few slips of the tongue in his opening remarks.
But his every move from now until November will be closely watched for signs of age-related frailty or failing health.
At least eight House Democrats have publicly called on Biden not to seek re-election, with Rep. Pat Ryan of New York jumping ship on Wednesday.
Michael Bennett of Colorado on Tuesday became the first Senate Democrat to speak out against the president, saying Biden would lose the election if he went forward.
“I think Donald Trump is on track to win this election, maybe even in a landslide, taking both the Senate and the House,” Bennett told The New York Times. CNN.
Former President Trump, 78, is back on war footing after a long period of public activity following the June 27 debate.
At a rally in Florida on Tuesday, he accused Biden of conducting the “greatest cover-up in political history” about his health.
Republicans also stepped up the pressure, with the party-controlled House Oversight Committee issuing subpoenas to three senior White House aides to testify about Biden’s health, according to Axios news outlet.
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