George Clooney’s stinging op-ed about Joe Biden's health backfires within his social circle in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hollywood is abuzz following George Clooney's bold op-ed urging President Joe Biden to reconsider his 2024 election campaign.

In his strongly-worded piece, Clooney called on Biden to recognize signs of health decline and step aside, sparking mixed reactions among his peers. Clooney recently participated in a fundraiser for Biden but after the first presidential debate against Donald Trump, he was critical of Biden's performance. 

George Clooney says Joe Biden is not going to win in November

George Clooney in his op-ed wrote that Democrats ignored "every warning sign" regarding Joe Biden's health during his 2024 campaign.

"The Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser 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."

"One battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can ... We are not going to win in November with this president ... Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024," he wrote.

Hollywood says 'arrogance' of George Clooney is 'astounding' 

In response to his strongly-worded op-ed urging President Joe Biden to abandon his bid for a second term, some of the actor's former associates are pushing back, RadarOnline states. 

An insider told the website, “The arrogance of Clooney is astounding. He has President Biden’s contact info. Why didn’t he just call his pal privately to air his concerns? Because George is an egomaniac who thinks every word he utters should be printed in The New York Times.”

While some figures, such as Michael Douglas, acknowledged Clooney's concerns, others in Clooney's social circle have expressed disappointment and even distanced themselves. According to sources, invitations to events and involvement in upcoming projects featuring Clooney have reportedly been affected, with claims that he is being viewed unfavorably for his outspoken stance.

A source close to the situation commented, "George’s name is being yanked off party invites and upcoming projects. No one wants to be seen with a traitor anymore."

"Plus, it looks like Clooney’s coup has failed. Joe isn’t going anywhere, but it looks like George should be the one considering stepping aside. His career, whatever was left of it, is over.”

RadarOnline.com later disclosed that Clooney consulted with former President Barack Obama, 62, before releasing the op-ed.

Sources indicated that Obama did not encourage the move, but he also did not dissuade Clooney from publishing it.

Donald Trump calls George Clooney 'disloyal' and 'third-rate actor'

Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on George Clooney following the actor's op-ed in The New York Times, where Clooney called for President Joe Biden to step down from his 2024 re-election campaign.

Trump criticized Clooney during his appearance on 'The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show' on July 12, describing the actor as disloyal and questioning his career achievements.

In the op-ed published on July 10, Clooney expressed his doubts about Biden's viability as a candidate for the upcoming election, urging Democrats to consider other options.

He cited Biden's poor debate performance against Trump on June 27 as a turning point, suggesting that the current president is not equipped to secure a victory in November.

"The dam has broken. We can put our heads in the sand and pray for a miracle in November, or we can speak the truth," Clooney had written among other things.

He criticized Democrats for clinging to Biden despite the challenges, drawing parallels with the Republican Party's loyalty to Trump.

Trump responded to Clooney's op-ed with sharp criticism, both on air and through his social media platform, Truth Social.

On 'The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show', Trump labeled Clooney a "very disloyal, backstabber, third-rate movie actor," dismissing his accomplishments in the film industry.

"He was a television actor and never made really a good movie. So he’s sort of third-rate," Trump said, adding, "Clark Gable he’s not. I thought it was a great act of disloyalty."

Despite Clooney’s criticism, there are other celebrities as well who have spoken in favor of his call, including 'The Princess Bride' director Rob Reiner, who claimed Clooney just said what a lot of them had been thinking of saying.

Several celebrities, including author Stephen King, requested Biden to step aside even before Clooney wrote the op-ed.