Ashley Judd calls on Biden to step aside

Actor and activist Ashley Judd on Friday became the second high-profile celebrity this week to call on President Biden to end his reelection campaign and allow someone else to take on former President Trump this fall.

In an op-ed in USA Today, Judd noted that some of her closest friends and family are Trump supporters. Their beliefs, she said, coupled with Biden’s poor debate performance, show the president is “incapable of countering Trump.”

“The defense of our cherished rights and freedoms, the moral imperative that we do better by more people, and our bodies, cannot be left to voters who see and are frightened of the consequences of President Biden’s obvious limitations, or who are now not going to vote,” wrote Judd, who is an outspoken advocate for reproductive rights and the Biden campaign.

Judd pointed to Biden’s poor debate performance two weeks ago, arguing another Trump presidency “cannot be America’s future.”

The actor also noted she does not make this decision lightly or easily, saying she believes in what Biden has done for the country, specifically job growth and American investment.

Judd argued that if Trump were reelected, there would be “very real hurt” among millions of Americans.

“The Democratic Party must not delay in thanking President Biden and supporting a talented, robust Democrat to be our party’s nominee,” she wrote. “We do not have another day for distraction or division among ourselves.”

Writing from rural Tennessee, Judd said “it is clear” that Americans have made up their minds against Biden, “on top of the majority who love to vote for Donald Trump.”

Judd’s op-ed follows that of actor George Clooney. Clooney wrote in The New York Times on Thursday, calling on Biden to step aside.

His declaration sent shockwaves from Washington to the West Coast and could have greater impacts in Hollywood.

A growing number of Democratic lawmakers and donors are calling on the president to suspend his campaign and allow someone new the chance to take on Trump.

Updated at 9:12 a.m. EDT