George Clooney revealed his loss of confidence in former President Joe Biden came after a disappointing encounter at a fundraiser last June, where he found the president to be a shell of his former self.
The aging actor, a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party, had penned an op-ed in The New York Times on July 10 titled “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.”
Speaking recently during an interview tied to promoting his new Broadway production, Clooney confirmed that his decision to write the piece was directly prompted by witnessing Biden during a Hollywood fundraiser he co-hosted.
Clooney recalled spending hours talking to Biden at the Kennedy Center just a year earlier, which was contrasted when he “saw someone much less sharp,” upon encountering Biden in Hollywood.
George Clooney NYC For his new Broadway show “Good Night and Good Luck” meeting with Radioman 🎬🥰 pic.twitter.com/Ymfv39NXJg
— New York Mickey (@MickmickNYC) February 19, 2025
Taking aim at the press, Clooney remarked, “The media, in many ways, dropped the ball,” for covering up Biden’s clear loss of mental sharpness.
Despite his critique, he reaffirmed, “I’ve always liked Joe Biden, and I like him still.” However, he went on to explain that Biden’s apparent decline made defending his record increasingly difficult.
“The Biden administration was terrible at explaining that we’re a world economy, where we were actually doing better than all the other G7 countries,” Clooney commented to the same outlet he wrote the opinion piece for.
George Clooney points out that it was Stephen Colbert’s idea to rename it the Gulf of America before it was Trump’s. “It was,” Colbert responds. “Trump steals all of my ideas. [Turns to camera] You better lawyer up mother f*cker, because I’m coming for you.” pic.twitter.com/DaqWzLkQWF
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) February 19, 2025
Adding to the criticism, he said, “They were bad at telling the story because their messenger was not working at his best, to say the least.”
Clooney also touched upon encounters with Donald Trump during his days as a major Hollywood star.
Referring to Trump’s penchant for nightlife in New York, Clooney shared, “He’d be at a restaurant, and he’d be like, ‘What’s the name of that cocktail waitress?’”
Clooney even revealed that Trump recommended a doctor for him after he suffered a debilitating spinal injury on the set of “Syriana.”
Robert De Niro after Obama and George Clooney yanked Biden from the race.
@elonmusk pic.twitter.com/U2TRBhExKe
— Jeff (@23JAM_23) January 25, 2025
However, he also compared Trump to Ebenezer Scrooge, suggesting he hoped Trump could have a ghostly revelation like the “A Christmas Carol” protagonist during his second term.
Surprisingly, Clooney offered an optimistic message for Trump, despite backing former Vice President Kamala Harris after Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 campaign trail.
During his press tour to promote the stage adaptation of his film “Good Night and Good Luck,” Clooney reflected on political wins and losses, referencing his experience growing up as a Democrat in Kentucky.
“I have lost a lot of elections,” Clooney admitted. Discussing the highs and lows of American democracy, Clooney quipped on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “What am I supposed to do? Storm the f**king Capitol?” bursting into laughter.
“It didn’t work out. That’s what happens. It’s part of democracy,” he added, before addressing Trump. “Good for you. Go. I hope you do well because our country needs it.”
Clooney declared that this dynamic is the very essence of democracy, where disagreements are natural, yet most people “still like each other.”
Clooney’s infamous op-ed was seen as a decisive blow to Biden’s political prospects following the aging former president’s stumbling debate performance against Trump earlier this year.
Despite co-hosting a fundraiser that raised a staggering $30 million mere weeks prior, Clooney publicly aired his doubts about Biden’s ability to lead.
“I love Joe Biden,” he reiterated. “But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can. It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago… was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020.”
🔥🚨BREAKING: Hollywood actor George Clooney calls Biden ‘selfless’ for ending reelection bid and compared Joe Biden to Founding Father George Washington.
George Clooney: “The person who should be applauded is the president, who did the most selfless thing that anybody’s done… pic.twitter.com/WCkXYtWYeC
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) September 1, 2024
Clooney criticized Democratic leadership for dismissing concerns raised by millions of Americans who watched the debate, accusing them of undermining the public’s intelligence.
“We’re all so terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term that we’ve opted to ignore every warning sign,” Clooney warned.
His further remarks suggested that prominent Democratic politicians shared his sentiment but avoid stating it publicly.
“Every senator and Congress member and governor who I’ve spoken with in private,” he stated, “irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly.”
Oddly enough, Trump—who rarely misses an opportunity to make a scathing remark—stepped forward to defend Biden, albeit with his signature flair for insults.
President Trump shreds George Clooney 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/DcP4LDmXw4
— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) July 11, 2024
Trump ridiculed Clooney’s foray into the political sphere, taking to Truth Social to declare, “He’s turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are.”
Launching into a tirade, Trump dismissed Clooney as a “fake movie actor” who has “never come close to making a great movie.”
“He uses the Democrat ‘talking point’ that Biden, the WORST President in the history of the United States, has ‘saved our Democracy,’” Trump continued. “Crooked Joe Biden didn’t save our Democracy; he brought our Democracy to its knees.”
Dismissing Clooney’s Hollywood legacy, Trump concluded, “Clooney should get out of politics and go back to television. Movies never really worked for him!!!”