President Joe Biden’s re-election bid faced renewed skepticism on Wednesday as prominent figures like Nancy Pelosi and George Clooney, along with two Senate Democrats, cast doubts on his viability for 2024. These concerns could potentially influence other Democratic lawmakers and financial backers.
Former House Speaker Pelosi, a long-time Biden ally, suggested on MSNBC that Biden must quickly decide whether to stay in the race, although she stopped short of explicitly endorsing his run.
Hollywood actor George Clooney, who co-hosted a high-profile fundraiser for Biden last month, withdrew his support in a critical New York Times op-ed, stating that Biden was no longer the same man he was in 2020.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has privately indicated openness to a Democratic candidate other than Biden, according to Axios. Despite this, Schumer reiterated his support for Biden in a statement following the report.
Senator Peter Welch became the first Democratic senator to explicitly call for Biden to withdraw, expressing his views in an op-ed published late Wednesday.
A significant Democratic donor revealed that party leaders might issue statements of concern after the NATO summit, although Schumer was not specifically named. “It’s going to be a bloodbath,” the source noted, highlighting increasing frustration among lawmakers and donors, alongside growing pressure on down-ballot candidates.
The Abandon Biden Campaign, critical of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict, urged Americans to call for Biden’s withdrawal, while also expressing disdain for Trump’s “culture of hate.”
Pelosi’s remarks, overlooking Biden’s repeated assertions that he will remain in the race, seem to herald a new wave of calls from fellow Democrats for him to step aside.
Source: Reuters
