"I take it all back": "West Wing" creator walks back his wild GOP Biden replacement plan

Aaron Sorkin treated the presidential race as a TV drama, offering a solution that was unpopular, to say the least

Published July 22, 2024 1:57PM (EDT)

Aaron Sorkin attends the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute To Nicole Kidman at Dolby Theatre on April 27, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for AFI)
Aaron Sorkin attends the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute To Nicole Kidman at Dolby Theatre on April 27, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for AFI)

"West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin has backtracked on his suggestion that Democrats should nominate moderate Republican Senator Mitt Romney, Utah, for the 2024 presidential race instead of President Joe Biden.

In a New York Times op-ed published on Sunday, the screenwriter, riffing on how he would write for his drama series, "The West Wing," laid out his "pitch to the writers’ room: The Democratic Party should pick a Republican.

"Nominating Mr. Romney would be putting our money where our mouth is: a clear and powerful demonstration that this election isn’t about what our elections are usually about it, but about stopping a deranged man from taking power," Sorkin wrote.

His suggestion drew considerable frustration from liberal figures. “No Aaron Sorkin, we’re NOT nominating Mitt Romney," tweeted Christine Pelosi, daughter of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "Hey Palin-picker Steve Schmidt with replacement fever game show dreams, wake up! Republicans are the party of reality TV; Democrats are the party of reality. And here in reality, 4,000+ Biden DNC delegates get certified today.”

However, on Sunday President Joe Biden also announced that he would be exiting the presidential race and endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris, for the Democratic ticket against former president Donald Trump.

Borrowing the X/Twitter account of "The West Wing" cast member Josh Molina, Sorkin tweeted to the world, "I take it all back. Harris for America!”