'He has to drop out': Internet backs Hollywood donors as they refuse to fund Democrats after Joe Biden's presidential debate

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hollywood donors have declared that they will stop contributing to the Democratic Party if President Joe Biden continues to run for the White House.

According to multiple Hollywood insiders quoted in the Variety story on Friday, June 28, major liberal donors are fed up with Joe Biden and want someone else to be the front-runner after the president's performance in the debate on Thursday, June 27.

An advisor to some of the prominent donors spoke on the issue

"It’s just really hard to see how we keep supporting him. He needs to dig deep about whether he can in good conscience be our nominee," Hannah Linkenhoker, an advisor to several of these donors, told the outlet.

"We need a champion who can properly hold Trump accountable and articulate what’s going on and be crisp on this issue above all else," Linkenhoker added, before noting there’s serious doubt among her clients that Biden is this guy.

The reported reversal of opinion among Democratic Party supporters and even liberal pundits toward Biden by the Hollywood elites follows the latter's sharply criticized debate performance against former President Donald Trump on Thursday, June 27.

The debate sparked panic among Democratic strategists and commentators

Democratic strategists and pundits became alarmed by the debate and some are now demanding that Biden be removed as the party's presidential nominee. According to a Hollywood donor who wished to remain anonymous, many people in his network have announced that they will stop contributing unless Biden is removed.

"With all the text chains I’m on, people are basically like, ‘If he doesn’t drop out, we’re not giving any more money to Democrats or the Democratic Party.’ It’s like super intense," he said. Another industry person, who Variety described as being "plugged in at the highest level of Hollywood fundraising," was quoted as saying, "There is a sense that the money dried up last night about 10 minutes into the debate."

Joe Biden had received massive support in Hollywood before the debate

Biden has enjoyed a great deal of support in Hollywood up until recently. The president received several six-figure contributions to the Biden Victory Fund in the final quarter of 2023.

Legendary Hollywood director Steven Spielberg and his spouse Kate Capshaw contributed $929,600 apiece. In the same period, Biden received a $500,000 gift from filmmaker JJ Abrams.

Celebrities and other powerful people in Hollywood also assisted in planning and attended a March fundraiser for Biden in New York City which raised $25 million in donations in a single evening for the president's 2024 campaign.

‘All eyes are on Jeffrey Katzenberg’ following Joe Biden’s debate performance

According to Variety, "all eyes are on Jeffrey Katzenberg," the co-founder of DreamWorks Pictures and a former Disney executive who assisted in organizing the March event to see how he responds to Biden's performance in the debate.

The outlet stated, "Sources close to Katzenberg say he is taking a wait-and-see approach to how Biden’s debate performance plays out in the coming days."

The same is true for media tycoon and notable Democratic donor Haim Saban, the outlet reported. However, Saban has recently voiced disagreements with Biden on a number of other issues such as criticizing the administration's positions on Israel's conflict with Hamas.

What did Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler say?

Michael Tyler, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, acknowledged that the president "didn't have the best night on the debate stage" but insisted that there are "no conversations" about Biden being replaced. "But you’d rather have one bad night than a candidate with a bad vision for where he wants to take the country," he added, contrasting Biden to Trump.

Internet says Joe Biden 'must be removed'

Netizens also back Hollywood donors' skepticism concerning their contribution to the Democrats if Biden still continues to run for president. One X user wrote, "Well if Hollywood wants him gone, he must be removed. Those elite washed up actors truly run the country." Another remarked, "No way will he bow out. He considers his own issues more important than those of his country."

"Tired of losing money and getting bad reviews, are they? It's just like here where they bet on the losing horse always. That constant court stuff. K," wrote someone else. 

"Good for them but they are also the ones who threaten to move if Trump wins and then when he does they won’t move," commented another. One user tweeted, "Been saying that! If he runs out of money for his campaign, he has to drop out. "

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.