George Clooney is praising President Joe Biden for his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. While promoting his latest film, Wolfs, at the Venice International Festival, the 63-year-old actor was asked about the op-ed he wrote for The New York Times earlier this summer, in which he called for the 81-year-old Democrat to step down from the race.
After a reporter inquired about the op-ed, George admitted, “You know, I’ve actually never had to answer that question. So, I suppose I’ll do it here,” according to an Instagram video shared by The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, September 2. “The person who should be applauded is the president, who did the most selfless thing that anybody has done since George Washington,” George added.
After he paused for applause, the Descendants star noted that “all of the machinations that got us there” will not be “remembered,” pointing out that they “shouldn’t be.”
“What should be remembered is the selfless act of someone who did the hardest thing to do,” George continued, acknowledging that it’s “very hard to let go of power,” during his answer. “You know, we’ve seen it all around the world, and for someone to say, ‘I think there’s a better way forward,’ he gets all the credit, and that’s really the truth.”
While closing out his response, the Up in the Air actor said that he’s “very proud” of America’s current position, adding, “I think we’re all very excited for the future.”
George’s comment comes nearly two months after his op-ed titled, “I Love Joe Biden, But We Need a New Nominee,” was published by The New York Times on July 10. In it, the Casamigos co-founder called the president a “hero” and wrote that he “saved democracy in 2020.” However, George added in the essay, “We need him to do it again in 2024,” referring to Joe stepping down from the race.
“The one battle he cannot win is the fight against time,” George wrote. “None of us can. It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal‘ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
Just weeks after George published his op-ed, Joe announced he had dropped out of the race for possible re-election. He endorsed Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the race against Republican candidate Donald Trump.