Actor George Clooney on Sunday praised President Biden's decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, calling it “the most selfless act since George Washington.”
Clooney famously wrote an op-ed in The New York Times in July headlined “I Love Joe Biden, But We Need a New Candidate,” acknowledging Biden's withdrawal and arguing that Democrats needed a new candidate to beat former President Trump. Biden eventually agreed, and Clooney couldn't be happier.
“The man who deserves the accolades is the most selfless president we've had since George Washington,” Clooney told reporters when asked about this simple detail. The Washington Post.
George Clooney urges Biden to step down or risk losing
George Clooney retracted his support for President Biden in an opinion piece published in The New York Times in July. (Getty Images)
“What should be remembered is the selfless act of a man who said it's very hard to give up power. We know that. We've seen it all over the world,” Clooney continued, “and then somebody says, 'I think there's a better way.' And all the credit goes to him… and everything else will have faded and been forgotten a long time ago.”
Clooney, speaking to reporters at the Venice Film Festival where his new film “Wolves” premiered on Sunday night, did not mention Vice President Kamala Harris in his remarks, according to the Post.
“I'm very proud of the state of the world, which a lot of people are surprised about, and I think we're all very excited about the future,” Clooney told media.
Clooney's call for Biden to step down “appears to be a major factor in his decision to withdraw from the presidential race,” The Washington Post reported. The comments came on the heels of Biden's disastrous presidential debate performance, which forced many of his supporters to publicly call for a new candidate.
“No one believes Harris defended Biden's health,” CNN's Scott Jennings told the panel during a tense exchange
VENICE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 1: Brad Pitt and George Clooney attend the “Wolves” photocall during the 81st Venice International Film Festival at Palazzo del Casino on September 1, 2024 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by JB Lacroix/FilmMagic) (JB Lacroix/FilmMagic)
“It's shocking to say this, but the Joe Biden I was sitting with at a fundraiser three weeks ago was not the 'big' Joe Biden of 2010. It wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. It was the same guy we all witnessed at the debates.” Clooney writes:.
“Was he tired? Yes. Did he have a cold? Maybe. But it's time for our party leaders to stop pretending 51 million Americans didn't see what we saw. We were all so frightened by the prospect of a second Trump term that we chose to ignore all the warning signs,” he added. “This is an age thing, nothing more. But it's also irreversible. We cannot win the election in November with this president.”
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Fox News Digital's Kristin Parks contributed to this report.
