What's Inside?
- George Clooney says it was a “mistake” replacing Joe Biden with Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for 2024.
- The actor stands by his New York Times op-ed urging Democrats to seek a new candidate through a fair primary process.
- Despite backlash, Clooney calls his criticism a “civic duty” and defends his right to speak the political truth.
George Clooney, the Oscar-winning actor and long-time political activist, is standing by his controversial New York Times op-ed urging President Joe Biden to step aside from the 2024 presidential race. But in a recent interview on CBS’ Sunday Morning, Clooney admitted that while he has no regrets about calling for change, he believes the Democratic Party made a “mistake” by having Vice President Kamala Harris step in as the nominee. His comments have reignited conversations within political and Hollywood circles about leadership, loyalty, and timing in one of America’s most turbulent election years.
George Clooney Says It Was a “mistake” Replacing Joe Biden with Kamala Harris
Speaking candidly, George Clooney reflected on his earlier stance and how events unfolded after his headline-making essay, “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.” When asked if he would write it again, he didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” Clooney said. “We had a chance. 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 she had to run against her own record. It’s very hard to do if the point of running is to say, ‘I’m not that person.’ It’s hard to do, and so she was given a very tough task. I think it was a mistake, quite honestly. But we are where we are. We were gonna lose more House seats, they say. So I don’t know. To not do it would be to say, ‘I’m not gonna tell the truth.’”
Clooney’s comments come months after President Biden’s shaky debate performance against Donald Trump, which triggered widespread concern about his fitness to continue in the race. Many Democrats quietly echoed Clooney’s sentiment but avoided public confrontation. His op-ed, however, cut through the political noise, forcing the issue into the national spotlight.
In his July 2024 piece, George Clooney wrote, “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. 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.”
George Clooney Stands by His “civic duty” Despite Backlash
Following the op-ed’s publication, Clooney faced criticism from Biden supporters and even from within the First Family. Hunter Biden, in a fiery interview with Channel 5, lashed out, saying, “Fuck him! Fuck him and everybody around him. I don’t have to be fucking nice.” He also questioned why anyone cared about Clooney’s opinion, asking, “What do you have to do with fucking anything? What right do you have to step on a man who’s given … his fucking life to the service of this country and decide that you, George Clooney, are going to take out basically a full-page ad in the fucking New York Times.”
When asked about Hunter Biden’s comments on CBS, Clooney responded with grace. “Yeah, I saw it,” he said with a wry smile. “I could spend a lot of time debunking many of the things he said … but the reality is, I don’t think looking backwards like that is helpful to anyone. Particularly to him. I don’t think it is helpful to the Democratic party. So I’m just going to wish him well on his ongoing recovery and I hope he does well and just leave it at that.”
Despite the storm, Clooney insists he has no regrets about speaking out. In an earlier interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, he explained his reasoning. “That’s the deal, you have to take your stand if you believe in it,” he said. “Take a stand, stand for it and then deal with the consequences. That’s the rules, so when people criticize me — they criticized me for my stance against the war 20 years ago, people picketed my movies and they put me on a deck of cards — I have to take that, that’s fair. I’m OK with that, I’m OK with criticism for where I stand. I defend their right to criticize me as much as I defend my right to criticize them.”
As the Democratic Party looks to the future, Clooney’s reflections highlight a deeper divide about strategy and identity within the party. His honesty, though controversial, continues to stir debate about what it means to speak the truth — even when it costs you.
