Actor George Clooney says he has no regrets about publicly urging former President Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic Party’s nominee in the 2024 presidential race.
The Hollywood star and major Democrat fundraiser insists he was motivated by honesty, not politics.
In an interview that aired Sunday on CBS’s “Sunday Morning,” Clooney stood by his New York Times op-ed from June 2024.
In the article, Clooney called on Biden to withdraw following his disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump.
When asked by host Seth Doane whether he would risk speaking out again, Clooney answered without hesitation: “Yes.”
However, he continued by admitting that “it was a mistake” for the Democrats to replace Biden with Kamala Harris.
“We had a chance,” Clooney said.
“I wanted there to be – as I wrote in the op-ed – a primary.
“Let’s battle test this quickly and get it up and going.
“I think the mistake with it being Kamala is that she had to run against her own record, and it’s very hard to do if the point of running is to say ‘I’m not that person.’ It’s hard to do.”
Clooney, 64, said former Vice President Kamala Harris was placed in a “very tough” position after replacing Biden on the Democrat ticket.
“She was given a very tough task,” he said.
“I think it was a mistake, honestly, but we are where we are.
“We were going to lose more House seats, they say. I don’t know.
“To not do it would be to say I’m not going to tell the truth.”
Clooney’s Break with Biden and the Fallout
Clooney’s essay last summer marked a major turning point for Democrats, many of whom were privately voicing concerns about Biden’s age and electability.
“This is about age. Nothing more,” Clooney wrote in his op-ed.
“But also nothing that can be reversed.
“We are not going to win in November with this president.”
“Democrats have more to lose than the White House; they are at risk of losing down-ballot races with Biden as the nominee.
“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.”
Biden dropped out of the race two weeks later, on July 21, 2024, paving the way for Harris to become the nominee.
The actor’s comments drew fierce backlash from within Biden’s circle.
Most notable was the response from Hunter Biden, who accused Clooney of betrayal.
“I love George Clooney’s movies, but I don’t really give a s— what he thinks about who should be the nominee for the Democratic Party,” Hunter said on the “At Our Table” podcast.
“I was about to say I really like George Clooney as an actor, but the truth of the matter is, the truth is, I’ll be honest, I really don’t like George Clooney as an actor or as a person.”
In a separate Channel 5 podcast, Hunter Biden went further, claiming former President Barack Obama had given Clooney “the blessing” to speak out.
“F— him! F— him and f— everybody around him,” Hunter said.
“I don’t have to be f—ing nice.
“No. 1, I agree with Quentin Tarantino.
“George Clooney is not a f—ing actor.
“He is a f—ing, I don’t know what he is. He’s a brand.”
Clooney Responds to Hunter Biden
Clooney dismissed Hunter’s accusations as false but said he wouldn’t engage in a public feud with the former president’s son.
“I could spend a lot of time debunking many of the things he said because many of the things he said were just outright lies,” Clooney said.
“Obama didn’t put me up to it, it wasn’t my fundraiser – it was my fundraiser … all the things.
“But the reality is, I don’t think looking backward like that is helpful to anyone, particularly to him.
“I don’t think it’s helpful for the Democratic Party, and so I’m just going to wish him well on his ongoing recovery and hope he does well and just leave it at that.
“I have many personal opinions on that, but I don’t find it to be helpful to have a public spat with him.”
In a CNN interview earlier this year, Clooney said he viewed his decision to write the op-ed as an act of responsibility, not rebellion.
“It was a civic duty because I found that people on my side of the street — you know, I’m a Democrat in Kentucky, so I get it,” Clooney told Jake Tapper.
“When I saw people on my side of the street not telling the truth, I thought that was time to… some people [are mad], sure.
“That’s OK, you know.
“Listen, the idea of freedom of speech is you can’t demand freedom of speech and then say, ‘But don’t say bad things about me.’”
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