< p>Famous actor George Clooney called on Joe Biden to drop out of the US presidential race. His call comes hours after top Democrat Nancy Pelosi deflected questions about whether the president should continue.
The Hollywood actor and prominent Democratic Party sponsor said the president has won many battles in his career, "but the one battle he can't win is the fight against time.
His comments came after Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, joined growing anxiety in the party, saying time was "running out" for Biden to decide whether to stay in the race against Donald Trump after the disastrous his debate.
The president has repeatedly said he is determined to remain the Democratic nominee and defeat Trump in November.
Clooney even wrote an op-ed for The New York Times in which he noted that it was "devastating to say this, but Mr. Biden, whom he met at a fund-raising event three weeks ago, not the Joe Biden of 2010. He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020.".
"He was the same man we all witnessed during the debate," Clooney wrote.
The fundraiser, which took place in Los Angeles, brought the Biden campaign an overnight record of about $30 million.
"Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn't see what we just saw.
"It's about age. Nothing more,'' Clooney continued. "We're not going to win in November with this president," Clooney warned.
He added that his concerns match those of every member of Congress he has spoken with.
Meanwhile, public dissent in Joe Biden's party continues to grow as he faces criticism while hosting the NATO summit in Washington.
Pelosi's remarks, which ignored Biden's repeated insistence that he stay in the race, suggest he may face a new wave of doubt from fellow Democrats.
For nearly two weeks, Biden, 81, has been trying to stem the defection of Democratic lawmakers, donors and other allies worried he might lose the Nov. 5 vote to Republican Donald Trump, 78, after the suspension of Biden in the debate on June 27 .