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The Biden campaign is pushing back against the Clooney piece, noting that the president had flown across nine time zones, from the G7 summit in Italy, to attend the star\u2019s fundraiser. <\/p>\n
Campaign officials also note that the president has had serious disagreements recently with the star and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, about his administration\u2019s Gaza policy. The opinion piece, published three weeks after that Los Angeles fundraiser, could be viewed like a strike timed for maximum effect.<\/p>\n
But Clooney isn\u2019t just any movie star. He\u2019s a powerful fundraiser for Democrats and has been for years. Given that California, and the Hollywood industry in particular, is a key part of the party\u2019s money base, Clooney\u2019s comments present a very real threat to Mr Biden. <\/p>\n
It also comes on the heels of expressions of dissatisfaction from other big-money Democratic donors, such as Netflix chair Reed Hastings and IAC chair Barry Diller.<\/p>\n
The actor is also plugged in to party politics, with close ties to former President Barack Obama. It is difficult to imagine that he would have taken to the pages of the New York Times in such a dramatic way, with a double-barrel blast against the sitting president, without at least some tacit sign-off from prominent Democrats.<\/p>\n
Revelling in the Democratic turmoil on Wednesday night, Trump posted to social media about Clooney: “He\u2019s turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are.”<\/p>\n
Increasingly, prominent Democrats are saying things that should give Mr Biden pause.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Senator Welch’s column in the Washington Post said: “We have asked President Biden to do so much for so many for so long.<\/p>\n
“It has required unmatched selflessness and courage. We need him to put us first, as he has done before. I urge him to do it now.”<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, hours before the Clooney and Welch opinion pieces published, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi – who still holds considerable influence within the party – stopped notably short of endorsing Mr Biden’s bid for re-election.<\/p>\n
She said the president\u2019s critics should hold their tongues until after this week\u2019s Nato summit. \u201cWhatever you’re thinking,\u201d she said, \u201cyou didn’t have to put that out on the table until we see how we go this week.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that Mr Biden should make a decision quickly about whether to continue his campaign. When prodded that the president had already clearly said he would stay in the race, she dodged. \u201cI want him to do whatever he decides to do,\u201d Mrs Pelosi said.<\/p>\n
And later in the day, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine – Hillary Clinton\u2019s vice-presidential running mate in 2016 – offered similar lines, about how the president \u201cwill do the patriotic thing for the country\u201d and \u201cmake that decision\u201d.<\/p>\n
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, put it even more bluntly: \u201cI\u2019m fully behind him as our nominee until he\u2019s not our nominee.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s as if Mr Biden\u2019s tepid supporters simply won\u2019t take \u201cyes, I\u2019m still running\u201d as an answer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Biden: Nancy Pelosi says it’s the president’s decision to continue<\/figcaption><\/p>\n\n
Meanwhile, even some of Mr Biden\u2019s staunchest supporters have started to engage in \u201cwhat if\u201d scenarios. California Governor Gavin Newsom said he still backs the president, and would not run against Vice-President Kamala Harris as the nominee if Mr Biden stepped aside.<\/p>\n
Senate Democrats are meeting Biden campaign officials on Thursday to discuss the future of the campaign. And House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said he would speak to the president directly about Democratic concerns by Friday.<\/p>\n
Wheels are turning, but it’s unclear whether they are grinding toward a resolution or spinning in place.<\/p>\n
If Mr Biden were to bow out, it\u2019s still unclear what happens next. Some have suggested that Ms Harris, as the president\u2019s running mate, is next in line.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Biden ignores questions from reporters during meeting with Starmer<\/figcaption><\/p>\n\n
The solution, according to Clooney, is for Democrats to regroup and pick a new nominee, although he is vague about how the process could unfold. And his suggestion that, because of the shortened campaign season, whoever the party chooses would be able to avoid opposition research and negative campaigning \u2013 either from fellow Democrats or Republicans \u2013 seems naive in the extreme.<\/p>\n
While the mood in Washington has taken a new turn against the president in the past 24 hours, the mathematics of his situation has not changed.<\/p>\n
Mr Biden still controls the lion\u2019s share of national convention delegates who ultimately decide the party\u2019s presidential ticket. And while those delegates aren\u2019t explicitly bound to support him, he could replace any who show insufficient loyalty.<\/p>\n
The opinion polls, while indicating he is trailing Trump, have not changed dramatically since his ill-fated debate. And few show any of the most obvious alternatives to him \u2013 the vice-president and prominent Democratic governors \u2013 doing substantially better.<\/p>\n
Even Mr Biden\u2019s critics, with their appeals to his patriotism, sense of duty and concern for American democracy given the potential for a second Trump presidency, implicitly acknowledge that the decision ultimately lies with him.<\/p>\n
What Wednesday demonstrated, though, is that if he presses ahead, he may never be able to fully put the concerns about his age behind him. <\/p>\n
His debate performance may end up being a self-inflicted wound that never heals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n