In Hollywood, the panic over Joe Biden becomes a silent cry

So far, Hollywood has remained silent, at least in public. The country has yet to begin withholding its donations, despite widespread calls for President Donald Trump. Joe Biden He has decided to step aside and let another Democratic candidate take his place in the 2024 campaign. The patience of his supporters in the entertainment industry, however, is running out. Some say the concern they feel privately could turn into full-blown panic and lead to more explicit measures if they don’t see change in the next two weeks.

The alarm that erupted following the performance of the 81-year-old Biden in last Thursday's presidential debate against Donald Trump has saturated the ranks of actors, filmmakers, executives and other deep-pocketed allies in Hollywood. Leaders in this politically active segment of the industry are trying to keep things calm, as Andy Spahn, the Los Angeles-based political consultant Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and other show business titans, who have helped raise more than $20 million for Biden's 2020 campaign. He declined an interview about the current setback, but offered Vanity Fair this statement: Everyone just needs to take a deep breath.

Democratic-leaning politicians in the entertainment industry are largely following this advice, although their breathing is a little closer to hyperventilating at the moment.

On Saturday, two days after the debate, about 200 show business heavyweights gathered for a fundraising brunch at the entertainment lawyer's home. Ken Ziffren, The Los Angeles film czar, who has long been responsible for bolstering production in the city. The event focused not on the presidential campaign, but on a group of Democrats vying for hotly contested seats in the U.S. Senate. Biden’s performance dominated the conversation anyway, at least offstage.

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt led the discussion on stage, which was attended by the Vice President Kamala Harrisher husband, Jean-Pierre Lefebvre; sitting senators Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin and Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania, who are running for re-election in November; and representatives of Congress Ruben Gallego from Arizona, Colin Allred from Texas and California Adam Schiff (on his home turf), all hope to move from the House of Representatives to the Senate. There was no mention in their conversation of Biden's disappointing debate performance or the possibility that he might withdraw, but in the audience it was a compelling topic of discussion.

Among these power brokers, it’s a rare moment of helplessness. What I hear, with my ear to the ground, is that the idea of ​​Biden leaving has not gone away and may well happen. Donors are very worried, but there seems to be a strategic effort to allow Biden to make this decision alone and gracefully, says one donor who was present Saturday, a self-described moderate whose Democratic allegiance has been galvanized by disgust with Trump.

The donor adds that the consensus in Hollywood circles is that publicly pressuring Biden will only push him further into retrenchment: “This is all strategic to allow Joe to save face, because he’s particularly stubborn. And he’s also known, to his credit, to stand up when he’s on the mat. He dethroned Trump. There seems to be a balance between letting things simmer and figuring out if he’s still in office.” East the person most likely to beat Trump, or whether the situation is truly hopeless.

In need of comfort, Hollywood is looking for a stronger performance. If the campaigns that were conducted are any indication, Biden would have had only one chance. bad night, as a former president Barack Obama The president then has about two weeks to prove it before he faces a revolt from his potential supporters. He gave that rally in North Carolina the next day and, by all accounts, it was very strong, the donor said. The vanity fair. There must be a thousand of them, because [51 million] People are more or less aware of this debate. He should be on the ground every day. He should try to flood the area, with interviews or press conferences from the White House. Just having a rally the next day to stop the bleeding is not going to keep him on the ticket.

Biden's most prominent celebrities remain publicly loyal. On Friday morning, at the height of the debate panic, the campaign sent a mass email to small donors addressed to: Robert De Niro “I have rarely passed up an opportunity to bash Trump. Over the years, I have played my share of vicious and low-life characters. I have spent a lot of time studying bad men,” the Oscar winner wrote. Donald Trump De Niro is a tough guy with no morals or ethics who will do anything to get power. As an actor, I could never play him. There is not an ounce of humanity to hold on to. De Niro did not mention the debate, but added, in addition to his $25 campaign donation request, that he strongly supports Joe Biden. I have every confidence in him to lead the country.

Others acknowledged the setback while continuing to support the president. Rob Reiner, One of Hollywood’s most outspoken Democratic voices went on X to declare that even a diminished Biden was better than a malign Trump. Last night’s debate was a disaster for President Biden, Reiner wrote. But the choice is still clear: We can choose either a good, honest man who cares about his fellow citizens and knows how to govern, or a convicted felon who will destroy our democracy. It's not a hard choice. On the night of the debate, CNN reported eyewitness details from a viewing party in Los Angeles, writing, after a few replies, Rob Reiner was screaming about the loss and Jane Fonda had tears in his eyes.

On his HBO Max series Real time, Bill Maher He made a similar point, though much more bluntly. “I’ve said it before, I’m going to vote for his head in a jar of blue liquid. And after last night, it’s time to go get the jar,” he said. He noted that he proposed more than a year ago that Biden not run for reelection, and in a opinion article in The New York Times, Maher said an open convention to replace him could be a blessing in disguise. Suddenly, instead of rehashing the debate over the worst episode of The Golden Bachelor “They would have a contest, which Americans love,” he wrote. “It may sound a bit like what I'm doing here, but I'm completely serious and think it would be good for the Democrats and give them a better chance of winning.”

Maher said his choice would be the governor of California Gavin Newsom, Maher went around the TV networks after the debate to drum up support for Biden. Watching him defend Biden after the debate and defend Mr. Trump reminded me: “This guy is good at this,” Maher wrote. He is energetic, never at a loss for words or statistics, never stumbles, never gets intimidated. He is uncompromising, and that is important against Mr. Trump.