Celebrities and famous names praise Biden after his exit

Numerous well-known personalities immediately paid tribute to US President Joe Biden after he announced that he would not run in the presidential election in November.

Hollywood has long been a strong supporter and money base for Biden’s Democratic Party, but in recent weeks donors have turned away from the president after he performed poorly in a televised debate with his rival Donald Trump.

Since this announcement, some have publicly declared their support for Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the Democratic nomination.

Talk show host and comedian Jon Stewart called Mr Biden a “legend,” while actor Robert De Niro said his decision was an “act of smart politics and selfless patriotism.”

He helped restore “honesty, dignity and integrity to the office after four years of lies, crimes, scandals and chaos,” said Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, referring to his predecessor Trump’s time in the White House.

This was reiterated by Director Ken Burns, who said Mr Biden had “led the country out of the disastrous tenure of his predecessor while quietly doing good for all Americans”.

Singer John Legend said he was “grateful for the grace and patriotism” Biden had shown in his resignation and offered his support for Harris: “She is ready for this fight and I look forward to helping her wherever I can.”

According to actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Ms Harris has a “trusted and proven” track record. She is a “passionate advocate for the rights of women and people of color, and her message is one of hope and unity for America at a time of great national division.”

If she wins the election in November, Ms. Harris would be the first woman and woman of color to win the presidency of the United States.

Star Trek actor George Takei said the potential election duel is now called “Prosecutor versus Felon” – referring to Ms Harris’ previous career as a prosecutor and Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Singer Charli XCX also seems to support the Vice President and posted on X: “Kamala IS a brat.”

This is a reference to the singer’s recent album “Brat,” which has become a social media trend, with followers tweeting videos of Ms. Harris remixed with Charli XCX’s music.

Kamala HQ – the official X-site of Ms. Harris’ campaign – has also jumped on the trend, changing its cover photo to match the color and style of the Brat album cover.

Hollywood has long been a cash cow for Democrats, but in recent weeks it has turned away from President Biden.

Several well-known personalities publicly withdrew their support for his campaign and called for his replacement.

One of them is Aaron Sorkin, the creator of the US political drama “The West Wing”, who, in a commentary in the New York Times published a few hours before Biden’s announcement, called on Democrats to nominate Mitt Romney – a well-known Republican senator and former Republican presidential candidate.

He has since backtracked, saying in a post published in his name on West Wing actor Joshua Malina’s X-account: “I take it all back. Harris for America!”

Another is actor George Clooney, who reiterated his “love” for Joe Biden in a New York Times op-ed earlier this month, but said his age and public gaffes during the campaign meant “we’re not going to win with this president in November.”

Mr Clooney has not commented since Mr Biden’s resignation.