Less than a month after his disastrous debate performance against former and potentially future President Donald Trump on June 27, President Joe Biden was forced out of the race. The key architects were not merely Biden's fellow Democrats, namely Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), but also Hollywood actor George Clooney. Now, just over six weeks later, Clooney is addressing Biden's exit.
Clooney was at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend. While he was there to promote his film, "Wolfs," a reporter asked about the essay he wrote on July 10 for The New York Times calling on the president to drop out of the race. While the reporting from The New York Times about his remarks indicated that Clooney received applause from some of the journalists in the room, the Hollywood actor said it's Biden who should be applauded.
The New York Post on Sunday also posted a clip of Clooney's remarks, as Nick Arama at our sister site of RedState highlighted.
"The person who should be applauded is the president, who did the most selfless thing that anybody’s done since George Washington and that's the truth. So anybody, all the machinations that got us there, that's all, none of that’s gonna be remembered, and it shouldn’t be," Clooney said.
Why shouldn't it be what's remembered, though? Clooney doesn't seem to care, though, as he goes on to sing Biden's praises.
"What should be remembered is the selfless act of someone who, you know, it’s very hard to let go of power. We know that. We’ve seen it all around the world. And for someone to say, 'I think there’s a better way forward,' all the credit goes to him, and that’s really the truth. And all the rest of it will be long gone and forgotten. So I'm just, I'm just very proud of where we are in the state of the world right now. Which, I think, many people are surprised by and I think we're all very excited for the future," he continued.
George Clooney calls Biden 'selfless' for ending reelection bid https://t.co/Fd3B1o8J3G pic.twitter.com/owafQqsZUW
— New York Post (@nypost) September 1, 2024
Clooney had also joked about his own good looks, as The New York Times highlighted:
Midway through a Venice news conference for the crime caper “Wolfs,” one reporter told George Clooney that she would ask the question on everyone’s minds.
“That I look so good up close?” Clooney quipped.
Though the 63-year-old was certainly sporting a nice tan, the big question wasn’t about his movie-star looks or even about “Wolfs,” which premiered Sunday evening at the Venice Film Festival. Instead, Clooney was asked about the effect of a July 10 guest essay he wrote for The New York Times Opinion section that called on President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to step down as the Democratic nominee.
At the time, it was considered one of the most high-profile examples of Hollywood’s big-donor class losing confidence in President Biden after his debate against Donald J. Trump in June.
Some journalists in the Venice press room applauded Clooney at the mention of his influential essay, but the star demurred. “The person who should be applauded is the president, who did the most selfless thing that anybody’s done since George Washington,” Clooney said about President Biden, who endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee for the Democratic Party in late July. “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.”
Alluding to the ascension of Harris, Clooney continued, “I’m very proud of where we are in the state of the world right now, which I think many people are surprised by. And we’re all very excited for the future.”
Sure, Clooney likes Biden now that he's no longer on the ticket and no longer considered a liability. Pelosi also compared him to Washington in a way, when she offered last month that he should appear on Mount Rushmore.
Also, why are so-called journalists applauding such a political move? The rest of the report doesn't mention, as it instead focuses on the film, co-starring Brad Pitt. The film will only receive a limited release for one-week before it will appear on streaming services.
As The New York Times also mentioned:
Now, “Wolfs” will receive only a one-week release in a limited number of theaters before it begins streaming on Sept. 27. Several reporters asked Clooney whether he was disappointed about having to forgo a big release.
“Sure, we would have liked that,” Clooney said. “That’s why Brad and I gave some of our salary back to do it,” though he took issue with a recent Times report that said he and Pitt were paid $35 million each for the movie. “It’s millions and millions and millions dollars less than what was reported,” the star said. (The Times stands by its reporting.)
That Clooney would be disappointed is ironic in a way, given the disappointment that Biden no doubt feels. He won million votes in the 2024 primary, and yet the so-called party of democracy and its influencers and donors like Clooney are celebrating Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, despite how she never won a primary vote, for 2020 or 2024. She ran for president in 2020 but dropped out in December 2019, before one primary vote was even cast.
Reportedly, Biden is all sorts of angry, as he felt "pushed out" by such an ouster.
Biden's DNC speech, which took place two weeks ago was a total logistical mess, and the whole DNC scheduling revealed just how much Democrats were in disarray over the soon to be former president.
"Clooney" and "George Washington" are both trending topics over X on Monday as a result of his remarks.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member