Sean Penn's Joe Biden Endorsement Has Twitter Talking

Michael Hein

10/24/2020 05:05 pm EDT

Sean Penn tweeted a ringing endorsement of former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday, and it is still stirring up conversation on Twitter. The actor wrote that he has been "ambivalent" about Biden up until this week, when he heard Biden talk in detail about how he would handle the coronavirus pandemic. Followers on both ends of the political spectrum are still registering their surprise at this turn.

Penn's praise for Biden was tied specifically to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to Penn's personal experience helping with the response. The actor's nonprofit organization, Community Organized Relief Effort — C.O.R.E. — has been helping to equip testing sites around the Los Angeles area since March. He wrote: "I've been working test sites since day one. Talking to Fauci & all the top scientists." He believes Biden's plan is "EVERYTHING that will get America back to work and FLOURISHING."

"I'd been ambivalent about Biden. My ambivalence is gone. Biden for America," he concluded.
Some fans felt the same way, remarking that they had been come across their own reasons to get more enthusiastic about Biden. Others fired back at Penn, trying to sway him to support President Donald Trump instead.

Either way, Penn's foray into politics had social media chattering on Saturday. Here is a look at how fans responded.

Thanks

Many followers thanked Penn personally for his work in and around L.A. C.O.R.E. previously helped with international disasters like the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, but this spring they shifted their focus to domestic needs.

Doubt

Some fans doubted Penn's claim that he had talked to Fauci and other scientists, at least personally. To be fair, his work with C.O.R.E. could have put him in contact with public health officials, if only to coordinate the response.

Trump's Diagnosis

As far as some users were concerned, Trump had forfeited any right to weigh in on the coronavirus pandemic when he contracted it himself. They noted that Biden has consistently heeded the advice of scientists.

Official

Many of Penn's followers had already assumed he was voting for Biden, but they appreciated him making the endorsement official. To them, this was just another part of his work to combat the pandemic.

Exaggeration

On the other hand, some users thought that Penn was dangerously exaggerating how much a Biden policy would impact the coronavirus pandemic.

Other Stars

Other celebrities responded to Penn's tweet with their own endorsements, including actor Vincent D'Onofrio.

Changing Minds

Finally, people on both sides of the political spectrum pointed out how unlikely it is for anyone to change their minds at this point in an election, especially when so many Americans have voted early. They questioned what Penn's endorsement could accomplish this late in the game.

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