George Clooney is under fire from disillusioned Democrats after calling for President Joe Biden to exit the 2024 presidential race. The actor, known for his roles in Ocean’s Eleven and his political activism, urged Biden to step aside in a July New York Times op-ed, asserting that “we are not going to win in November with this president.”
Clooney’s call for Biden to quit was followed by his public support for Vice President Kamala Harris, whose bid for the presidency has faced mounting challenges. This has fueled frustration within the Democratic Party as the 2024 campaign continues to falter.
“Thank you, George Clooney,” wrote journalist Joshua Hartley on X (formerly Twitter), sharing a link to Clooney’s op-ed, titled, “George Clooney: I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.” Other users on X chimed in with sharp criticism, including one who posted, “Someone bring me George Clooney. We need to have a… talk,” accompanied by a meme from Batman.
In the wake of Clooney’s remarks, some political commentators pointed to him as partially responsible for the disarray surrounding the 2024 election. One user noted, “Trump should not forget to thank the Hollywood celebrities. Especially George Clooney.” Another added, “It’s all George Clooney’s fault!”
While some believe Biden should have stepped down sooner, others argue that his exit was premature and that he could have retained crucial support from white working-class voters who seem to have shifted away from his administration.
Former President Donald Trump also took aim at Clooney, mocking the actor’s political influence. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “So now fake movie actor George Clooney, who never came close to making a great movie, is getting into the act. He’s turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are. What does Clooney know about anything? … Clooney should get out of politics and go back to television. Movies never really worked for him!!!”
Clooney’s intervention in the 2024 election came just a month after he co-hosted a high-profile fundraiser that raised $28 million for Biden’s campaign. The actor later explained his position in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, stating that age was the primary issue at hand and that the Democrats would struggle to win the election under Biden’s leadership. He expressed concern not only about the presidency but about losing control of the House and Senate. Clooney emphasized that his opinion was shared by many lawmakers who had privately expressed doubts about Biden’s chances.
New York University Professor Laurence F. Maslon weighed in on the role of celebrity endorsements in politics, telling The Guardian, “Endorsements have probably always done more for the celebrity than the person being endorsed.” He added that celebrities like Clooney and Robert De Niro may use their political affiliations to boost their own profiles, noting that “there’s probably not a Republican candidate for any office in the last 20 years who didn’t append the word liberal before the word Hollywood when speaking about it.”
As the 2024 race continues, Clooney’s outspoken stance has sparked significant debate within both the Democratic Party and the broader political landscape.