What if Hollywood, a key Democratic financial pillar, cut off Joe Biden’s campaign funding? That possibility now looms large after actor George Clooney and other wealthy donors urged the US president to withdraw from the White House race.
“I love Joe Biden. But we need a new nominee,” Clooney wrote in a column in the New York Times on Wednesday, after Biden’s disastrous performance in a televised presidential debate against Republican rival Donald Trump rekindled fears around the 81-year-old’s fitness for office.
The statement dealt a serious blow to Biden, coming just three weeks after Clooney headlined a major fundraiser in Los Angeles for his reelection campaign.
At the gala, the president was able to raise more than $30 million in one evening, a record amount that showcased the industry’s might in financing the American left.
“If all these big donors pull out, he’s sunk,” said Steve Ross, professor of history at the University of Southern California who wrote a book on the influence of Hollywood on American politics. “Hollywood is still the one shop stop for candidates.”
Clooney is not the only one worried. In recent days, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, Walt Disney’s granddaughter Abigail and Hollywood mega agent Ari Emanuel, whose brother Rahm served as Barack Obama’s chief of staff — said they would not be financing Biden citing concerns over his age.
