President Joe Biden was praised by George Clooney as “selfless” for resigning as the Democratic nominee in this year’s presidential contest. At the much-awaited Venice Film Festival press conference for his awaited film “Wolfs,” which took place on Sunday, he talked about his contentious July New York Times opinion piece in which he urged President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential contest. I’ve never had to answer that question, so I suppose I’ll do it here,” the actor said.
“The person who should be applauded is the president, who did the most selfless thing that anybody’s done since George Washington,” Clooney said, as per the video shared by Deadline. “All the machinations that got us there, none of that’s gonna be remembered and it shouldn’t be … 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.”
Clooney stirred up controversy in July when he wrote an opinion piece in which he suggested the Democratic party ought to pick a new candidate. “We are not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate,” Clooney stated in the New York Times article. “This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and congress member and governor that I’ve spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly.”
As a self-proclaimed ardent Democrat, Clooney was one of several A-list celebs who collaborated on a $30 million lavish Hollywood fundraiser for Biden’s candidacy last month. However, Clooney said in his opinion piece that Biden has changed since their years-long acquaintance at the Los Angeles event, adding that the “fight against time” is the one battle that Biden will never prevail in. “This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and congress member and governor that I’ve spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly,” Clooney cited.
On July 23, Clooney supported Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy and applauded President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 contest. “President Biden has shown what true leadership is,” Clooney said on CNN in an announcement. “He’s saving democracy once again. We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest.”