Michael Douglas isn’t convinced that Joe Biden can beat Donald Trump in the upcoming US election.
The Wall Street star joined a growing chorus of Democrats on Wednesday when, during an appearance on The View, he said the mounting question about whether Biden should drop out of the race is “a tough one” — before admitting to feeling “deeply, deeply concerned”.
“I adore the guy,” Douglas, who held a fundraiser in his home for Biden in April, told the panel. “Fifty years of public service, a wonderful guy, and this just happens to be one of these elections that is just so crucial, and it’s really hard.
“I don’t worry necessarily today or tomorrow, but a year down the line, I worry. I am concerned.”
Douglas said he had been “looking at some politicians who spoke about Biden dropping out last week and all of a sudden, this week, now they’re hedging their bets”.
He added that “we need some courage” in the matter from “both parties.”
Biden’s disastrous performance against Trump in the presidential debate last month has spurred five Democratic members of Congress, as well as longtime strategists like James Carville, to urge Biden to bow out — and invigorate voters with a new presidential nominee.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), meanwhile, left the door to Biden’s exit open.
Even George Clooney has joined the fray. He extolled the president’s character, career and morals in an op-ed for The New York Times before revealing that “the Joe Biden” he met in 2010 and 2020 was not “the same man we all witnessed at the debate”.
Douglas agreed with his fellow Oscar winner on Wednesday — and said the Gravity star had made “a valid point”.
“I’m deeply, deeply concerned,” he continued on the show. “I mean, especially 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 because with the debate … I mean, it was relatively simple.”
“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, and call the other guy [a convicted felon],” he continued. “And just don’t deal with all of your facts — just deal with [Trump’s] lies.”
A post-debate CNN poll showed 67% percent of viewers felt Trump performed better than Biden, who recently attempted to reassure voters he’s up for the job with an interview on ABC News. The president maintained on Monday that he is “not going anywhere”.