Actor George Clooney addressed President Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race, which he did 11 days after Clooney addressed the President in an opinion piece for the New York Times titled: “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.”
In a press conference for his upcoming film Wolfs, in which he stars alongside Brad Pitt, on Sunday, Sept.1 at the Venice Film Festival, Clooney, 63, was asked about the impact of his op-ed.
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When met with some applause from the crowd, the Hollywood actor shifted the focus back to Biden.
“The person who should be applauded is the President who did the most selfless thing anyone’s done since George Washington,” Clooney said. “All the machinations that got us there, none of that’s going to be remembered. And it shouldn’t be. What should be remembered is the selfless act.”
He went on to describe how hard it is to “let go of power.” Addressing the room of press, he noted: “For someone to say, ‘I think there’s a better way forward?’ All credit goes to him.”
In the Times op-ed, published just weeks after Clooney co-hosted a Democratic fundraiser at the Los Angeles Peacock Theater, Clooney said he “love[d]” Biden and considers him a friend. Yet, at the fundraiser, “he wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020.” Making reference to Biden’s widely-criticized performance at the first 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump on June 27, Clooney said of the President: “He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
Clooney was one of the more high-profile voices to speak out following the debate, in which Biden stumbled on his words and at times rambled off into tangents that others struggled to understand.
As a self-proclaimed “lifelong Democrat” and a prominent donor of the political party, Clooney reflected on the time he had spent with Biden over the years.
He went on to say: “This is about age. Nothing more… We are not going to win in November with this President.”
The op-ed came at a significant moment in the Biden campaign, as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other prominent Democrats also called on the President to step aside. Less than two weeks later, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President.
Following Biden’s announcement that he was dropping out of the race, Clooney released a statement to CNN, where he praised Biden and endorsed Harris.
“President Biden has shown what true leadership is. He’s saving democracy once again,” the actor said. “We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest.”