Former President Joe Biden reportedly did not recognize his longtime friend George Clooney during a fundraiser for last year’s reelection campaign.
Biden failed to acknowledge Clooney at the June 2024 fundraiser, as detailed in an excerpt from “Original Sin: The Decline of President Biden, The Depression, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” co-authored by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson, as mentioned in the New Yorker.
Interestingly, Tapper mentions that there are behind-the-scenes issues, noting that he was involved in covering up Biden’s cognitive decline.
John Nolte from Breitbart News highlighted earlier this year that Tapper’s involvement with this issue isn’t surprising given the context of his new book.
“It’s unfortunate that Alex Thompson was one of the few—if not the only—individuals to publicly address Biden’s decline before the widely criticized June 2024 presidential debate,” Nolte remarked.
While the reasons for Thompson’s need for credibility protection remain unclear, the book suggests that Clooney and Biden have had a relationship spanning decades before the reelection campaign commenced.
After seeing Biden last on December 4, 2022, Clooney reportedly attended a June 15, 2024 fundraiser, organized by Hollywood figure Jeffrey Katzenberg at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
During the event, Clooney and fellow actor Julia Roberts were mingling with potential donors as attendees were tweeting and taking photos. It was noted that Clooney observed Biden moving unsteadily, as revealed in Tapper and Thompson’s book.
The excerpt details Clooney’s reaction: “I might be tired, having just arrived from the G-7 summit in Italy that morning, but I wasn’t prepared for this.”
“The president seemed to have aged dramatically since I last saw him,” the book continued, indicating that Biden was being guided by aides.
A Hollywood insider described the moment Clooney realized the extent of Biden’s decline: “It felt like seeing someone who wasn’t quite all there, and it was distressing. We all noticed it.”
Biden, reportedly, approached Clooney to express gratitude for his presence. When an aide reminded Biden who Clooney was, he replied, “Yeah, yeah,” before thanking him again.
Clooney greeted Biden, who then asked him, “What do you think?” when the actor inquired about his trip.
It became evident that Biden did not recognize Clooney, as noted in the book.
An observer noted, “It was a clear case of failing to recognize someone important to your campaign; it was awkward and uncomfortable,” reflecting on the event.
Later, aides informed Biden that he had been speaking to Clooney.
Clooney was reportedly unsettled by the encounter, as the excerpt emphasizes how Biden failed to recognize a friend of many years.
Following that fundraiser, Clooney expressed doubts about Biden’s chances in an op-ed in the New York Times, suggesting Democrats consider finding a new candidate for the upcoming presidential election.
