US election campaign: Pelosi, Clooney – even Schumer? Support for Biden is crumbling

Sometimes silence speaks louder than words: In a TV interview, top Democratic politician Nancy Pelosi refused to say clearly whether US President Joe Biden should stay in the race for the presidential nomination. Instead, she called on the 81-year-old to make a decision about his candidacy. Pelosi’s subtle distancing from Biden weighs heavily and reverberates. It is just the latest example of how support for Biden in the party continues to crumble. And some of Biden’s wealthy supporters in Hollywood are also no longer keeping their feet still.

Report: Schumer believes Biden alternative is possible

Meanwhile, the situation for Biden in Washington continues to escalate. Peter Welch is the first Senator to openly call for Biden to step down. And according to a report, the Democratic majority leader in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, has also been open to replacing Biden with donors. This was reported by the Axios portal, citing two unnamed sources. Schumer had previously publicly backed Biden. In response to the report, his office only announced that Schumer supports Biden and will continue to work to ensure that Republican Donald Trump is defeated in November. The public verdict of another Biden supporter came earlier with the force of a thunderclap: Hollywood star George Clooney took issue with Biden’s candidacy in the “New York Times” and called on him to step down.

If Schumer also turns against Biden in such a public way, the 81-year-old could finally lose support in Congress. Then the fate of Biden’s candidacy would probably be sealed. But Pelosi’s words alone are a slap in the face for Biden. She is not only a close confidante of Biden. The former Speaker of the US House of Representatives is also a powerful figure in the Democratic Party.

Pelosi puts pressure on Biden

On the show “Morning Joe”, reportedly Biden’s favorite political breakfast TV show, the 84-year-old said: “It’s up to the president to decide whether he’s going to run.” She added: “We all encourage him to make that decision. Time is running out.” When the moderator pointed out that Biden had apparently already decided to stay in the race, Pelosi responded evasively.

Instead, she added: “He is loved, he is respected, and people want him to make this decision.” Pelosi had initially stood firmly behind the US president after Biden’s TV debacle against Republican challenger Donald Trump. But last week, Pelosi expressed initial doubts and said that it was a “legitimate question” whether Biden’s blunder in the TV debate was “just an episode or a state of affairs.”

At 84, Pelosi is no longer the youngest herself. She is running for a seat in the US House of Representatives again in November. The well-known Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who supports Biden, reacted with surprise to Pelosi’s recent statements. “It’s decided. It’s strange that she would say something like that.” Hours after Pelosi’s interview, another MP came out against Biden.

With clenched fist against criticism

Biden is currently fighting to save his candidacy for the presidential election in November. In the USA, there is a debate about whether Biden is the right presidential candidate for the Democrats because of his advanced age. Since his disastrous performance in the TV debate against Trump, Biden has increasingly had to put up with questions about his mental fitness. However, he reacts defiantly to criticism and sometimes seems stubborn. He has so far vehemently ruled out withdrawing from the race.

At the NATO summit, Biden countered a journalist’s question as to whether Nancy Pelosi still supported his presidential candidacy with a clenched fist. The scene occurred when the heads of state and government of the 32 NATO countries gathered for a family photo. Biden’s confident counter caused a smile, among others, from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was standing diagonally behind him.

Actually, the important summit of the defense alliance in the US capital Washington should currently demand Biden’s full attention – but the unrest in his party is likely to keep Biden just as busy.

Republicans attack

Meanwhile, Republicans are stepping up their attacks on Biden. The chairman of the important oversight committee in the House of Representatives summoned several high-ranking White House employees. Republicans accuse Biden’s entourage of covering up his health. Among those summoned is a close adviser to First Lady Jill Biden. It is unclear whether those summoned will actually testify. Republicans accuse Biden of being mentally incapable of carrying out his duties. Journalist answers a passerby’s question about Biden

There is still no critical mass of Democrats against Biden. But the doubts are not abating – and every day there are new calls for his resignation. Today, the Democrat faces a tough test: the final press conference of the NATO summit. There, Biden will have to answer questions from the press without a teleprompter. It is precisely at such moments that he is prone to slip-ups and blunders.

Biden has also announced a new TV interview to show that he can hold his own in a situation without a prompter. On Monday evening (German night to Tuesday) he will answer questions from NBC journalist Lester Holt. Last week, Biden gave his first interview after the debate to ABC and stressed that only God could make him withdraw.

The journalist who interviewed Biden was George Stephanopoulos – and he, of all people, has now attracted attention with an explosive statement. A video shows the journalist in New York saying that Biden cannot remain in office for another four years. “Earlier, I answered a question from a passerby. I shouldn’t have done that,” US media quoted Stephanopoulos’ spokesman as saying.

Clooney takes Biden to task

Actor George Clooney was probably rather unrepentant when he made devastating comments about Biden in an opinion piece in the “New York Times”. The 63-year-old bluntly called on the US president to withdraw from the race. One battle he could not win was the battle against time. Successful director and producer Rob Reiner (“When Harry Met Sally”) agreed with Clooney and wrote: “Democracy is facing an existential threat. We need someone younger to fight back. Joe Biden must make way.” Biden is supported by various stars – Hollywood is considered to be rather liberal.

Just a few weeks ago, Clooney raised millions in donations for Biden’s election campaign in Los Angeles at a campaign event with other stars such as Julia Roberts. Biden had traveled directly to Hollywood from the G7 summit in Italy to attend the glamorous event. The actor wrote about the event: “He was the same man we all saw at the debate.”