George Clooney has a subtle message for Trump following accusations he helped push Biden out of 2024 race
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: George Clooney has never been shy when it comes to discussing politics—and his latest appearance on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' was no exception.
The 63-year-old actor stopped by to promote his new Broadway production 'Good Night, and Good Luck'—a stage adaptation of the 2005 film he starred in, co-wrote, and directed.
But the conversation quickly turned toward politics, and his message for Donald Trump and the Democratic Party was interesting, to say the least.
George Clooney sends a subtle message to Donald Trump
George Clooney—a longtime Democrat—reflected on his early experiences with politics. "I was raised a Democrat in Kentucky. It has been nothing but fun," he told Stephen Colbert.
The 'Ocean's Eleven' star shared that his first-ever vote was in the 1980 election, where he cast his ballot for Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter. But Ronald Reagan won that election, something Clooney remembers all too well. "I lost with some Bushes and I won with some Clintons and Obamas. You know, this is democracy," he expressed.
While Clooney never directly mentioned Trump during his interview, he did have something to say about the Democratic Party's recent loss.
"Well, I don’t know, what am I supposed to do? Storm the f***ing Capitol?" he quipped to applause from the audience. It was a clear reference to the January 6, 2021, incident when the US Capitol was breached following Trump's 2020 election defeat.
While he never uttered Trump's name, Clooney had a surprisingly composed message acknowledging his victory in the last election.
"Good for you. I hope you do well because our country needs it, and we will meet you in 3.5 years and see where we go next. It's part of democracy. There are people who agree and disagree, and most of us still like each other, we're all gonna get through it," the actor said.
Clooney also shared a personal story about his seven-year-old son Alexander—using it as an analogy for how democracy should work. "I have a son who plays in chess tournaments, loves chess. He’s seven years old and he’s playing against a lot of older kids and he is not winning all the time, as you can imagine," he shared.
He explained how his son gets frustrated when he loses, but Clooney always reminds him: "Listen, shake the guy’s hand, you say good game, I’ll get you next time. And that's kind of how... you've got to live by those rules."
At one point, Colbert knocked on his wooden desk, prompting Clooney to ask, "What?" To which Colbert subtly responded, "That there’ll be another (election)."
His comment was an unmistakable jab at Trump’s remarks in July last year when he told Christian conservatives, "You got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote."
George Clooney's apparent role in pushing Joe Biden to exit 2024 presidential race
Back in early July 2024, George Clooney wrote a New York Times op-ed titled: "I Love Joe Biden, But We Need a New Nominee."
At the time, Biden was facing immense scrutiny following his poor performance in the June presidential debate against Trump. Clooney called for him to step aside.
"I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he’s won many of the battles he’s faced," Clooney wrote, before admitting that his age had finally caught up to him.
"But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. 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," he continued.
His conclusion was blunt: "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."
Clooney claimed that many Democratic leaders privately agreed with him: "This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and Congress member and governor who I’ve spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly."
He argued that replacing Biden on the ticket would "enliven our party" and "wake up voters" who had already checked out before the debates.
Clooney’s op-ed was part of a growing movement within the Democratic Party urging Biden to step down, The then-president officially withdrew from the race just 11 days later, endorsing then-Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
Despite these efforts, Harris and her running mate Tim Walz ultimately lost to Trump and JD Vance by a significant margin in the Electoral College (312 to 226) as well as the popular vote (49.8% or 77.3 million votes to 48.3% or 75.01 million votes), according to the Daily Mail.
