Michael Douglas has a few pointers for whomever prepped Biden for the debate, as he echoed George Clooney’s concerns as shared in a New York Times op-ed that called for Biden to step down during his Wednesday appearance on The View.
“First of all, they should have just told the president to stand up, put a little makeup on for the debate and then where to look,” Douglas said as he shared his thoughts following Biden’s performance during last month’s presidential debate.
Upon being asked about Clooney’s op-ed, in which he wrote that “Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024” by allowing himself to be replaced as the Democratic nominee, Douglas said, “I think it’s a valid point.”
“I’m deeply, deeply concerned,” he continued. “It’s difficult because the Democrats have a big bench, they’ve got a lot of heavy hitters, a lot of talent. And I do worry with the difficulty with the debate.” Douglas also said that Biden should have been advised not to “deal with all of your facts—just deal with [Trump’s] lies.”
While many in the realm of politics have shared their belief that Biden should withdraw from the race due to the mental state implicated by his debate performance and subsequent interview with George Stephanopoulos (who also expressed his doubts about the President’s abilities, though he later apologized for doing so), others in Hollywood aside from Clooney and Douglas have expressed their concerns as well.
Movie director Rob Reiner took to X over the weekend to express that very thing, when he wrote “It’s time to stop fucking around” and “It’s time for Joe Biden to step down.” A week prior to his tweet, both Reiner and actress icon Jane Fonda were said to be at a debate watch party in Los Angeles, according to CNN, which reported that early on into the broadcast, Reiner expressed his worry about Biden losing the election, and Fonda had tears in her eyes.
A week before the debate, Fonda told Wolf Blitzer that Biden was “just fine” and pointed out that she’s five years older than he is. Reiner had hosted a fundraiser for the incumbents. To be sure, not all celebs have turned their backs on the president. Earlier this week, Whoopi Goldberg, also on The View, vowed that she’d vote for Biden even “if he poops his pants,” despite his performance on the debate stage.
But that performance still rattled many of his other otherwise loyal celebrity donors and endorsers—and only time will tell whether he can win them back.
For his part, during his appearance on The View and despite expressing his concerns, Douglas did not call for Biden to step down.
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