Biden vs Trump: Which celebrities want Joe Biden replaced?

Is it time to step down? Some major voices in Hollywood and the entertainment industry seem to think so.

US president Joe Biden, who will turn 82 come November, has faced intense criticism in recent weeks following a highly publicised debate with former president Donald Trump.

During the debate, the octogenarian president performed poorly, showing signs of confusion and appearing to lose his train of thought on several occasions. In one viral moment, the commander-in-chief struggled to name Medicare when he was responding to a question about taxing the rich.

Biden’s performance has caused many of his supporters to call into question his fitness for office and his capacity to run for reelection – especially with low approval ratings and polls that place him behind his newly convicted felon of an opponent.

The incumbent president is losing crucial support from his colleagues, donors and several big-name celebrities. Indeed, it seems that Biden is losing a vocal portion of the Democratic vote: Hollywood, with several celebrities calling for him to step aside.

Celebrated US author Stephen King is the latest celebrity to join these calls. King previously endorsed Biden at the last election and has now called for the President to step aside.

“Joe Biden has been a fine president, but it’s time for him - in the interests of the America he so clearly loves - to announce he will not run for re-election,” he shared on X.

Somewhat predictably, Elon Musk was quick to reply, troll-posting: “Even Stephen King is voting for Trump!”

King is not the first major name from the entertainment world to call for Biden to step aside in recent weeks.

Talk show host Stephen Colbert, on his first Late Night show since the debate, said watching Biden’s disastrous performance “took a year off my life”.

During the show, he said: “I believe (Biden) is a good enough man. He is a good enough president to put the needs of the country ahead of the needs of his ego. And however painful that might be, it is possible that handing leadership to a younger generation is the right thing for the greater good.”

Similarly, When Harry Met Sally... director Rob Reiner shared: “If the Convicted Felon wins, we lose our Democracy. Joe Biden has effectively served US with honor, decency, and dignity. It’s time for Joe Biden to step down.”

Director Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11) added a different spin on things in his argument against Biden. During an appearance on MSNBC, Moore accused the Democratic party of committing “elder abuse” by pushing Biden to continue with the election campaign.

“The problem here is that I think there is a form of elder abuse going on here where the Democratic Party and the people that are part of the apparatus are pushing and pushing him to stay,” said Moore. “I don’t know about you, but in spite of my criticisms with Biden, watching the debate a week ago was heartbreaking,” he continued. “It was like, imagine that was your father up there. I’m thinking, why isn’t anybody doing anything? Why did they let him go out on the stage in this condition? Who is looking out for him? Who is looking out for him right now?”

Another voice has been that of Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof, who also called for Biden to step down: “Biden has to go & the Dems need to wake up,” he wrote in a guest column for Deadline.

He urged others to withhold their donations to the Democratic party until “there’s change at the top of the ticket.”

“I am a lifelong Democrat and I love my complicated, glorious country,” he said in the op-ed. “I am not writing this anonymously because I’m asking others in positions of influence to do the same. I don’t know if what I have to say will matter, but I know what my eyes and my ears and my heart tell me. I’ve been asleep at the wheel and it’s time to wake the fuck up.”

“I propose a DEMbargo. No checks written. No ActBlue links clicked. For anyone.”

The call for a boycott of donations to the Democratic Party was echoed by Disney heiress Abigail Disney – Walt Disney’s great-niece and a longstanding Democratic donor - who warned that the GOP would win in November if a change of candidate was not made, adding: “I intend to stop any contributions to the party unless and until they replace Biden at the top of the ticket.”

Another one of the Democrat’s biggest donors, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, stated in an email to The New York Times: “Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous.”

Despite these calls and boycotts, the incumbent president has remained defiant on running for office and insistent about his ability to win again.

In an open letter sent to Democrats on Monday (8 July), the president said he was “firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump”.

He also said he’d had “extensive conversations with the leadership of the party, elected officials, rank and file members and most importantly Democratic voters” and that he had “heard the concerns that people have – their good faith fears and worries about what is at stake in this election. I am not blind to them.”

He added: “I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024…We had a Democratic nomination process and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively. The voters — and the voters alone — decide the nominee of the Democratic Party.”

So no passing of the torch planned...

It remains to be seen whether Biden can weather the storm, to what extent celebrity supporters determine votes, and if he can rally his ardent supporters once more in time for the November election. However, if he continues to lose crucial support from major voices and donors in the entertainment industry, fears will continue to grow that his presence on the ticket is handing Donald Trump a second term in the White House.