George Clooney has returned to politics to renew his feud with Donald Trump.
This summer, Oscar-winning actor and producer Clooney penned a New York Times op-ed titled “I Love Joe Biden, But We Need a New Nominee,” joining Hollywood’s chorus of calls for President Joe Biden to stop seeking reelection. President Trump was not pleased with Clooney’s involvement, calling him a “fake movie star” on social media and urging him to “step out of politics and return to television.”
“If he does that, I do that too,” the Ocean’s 11 star said on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday. “That’s a trade-off I’d make.”
Trump’s ire aside, Clooney rejected the idea that he had a major influence on Biden’s decision to step down, instead praising the current president.
“At the end of the day, it’s very hard to give up power, and President Biden has done a really great thing,” Clooney told host Jimmy Kimmel, “and honestly, I think that’s the thing to be notable about.”
Kimmel then asked Clooney if the thought that Trump might win the presidential election made him hesitate to speak out: “If Donald Trump were to win, have you ever considered the possibility that he might use the power of the federal government against you personally?”
“Yeah, I know, but I’m pretty sure he’s going after you first,” Clooney said with a laugh, alluding to Kimmel’s consistently critical coverage of the former president. “You know that theory where you don’t have to be faster than a bear, you just have to be faster than one kid? And you’re that one kid.”
Kimmel then offered another idea, jokingly asking, “Have you ever thought about writing an op-ed in the Times calling for his resignation? It worked once, why not try it again?”
“Yeah,” Clooney laughed, “he’s a big fan of mine.”
After Biden announced on July 21 that he was dropping out of the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, Clooney was one of many who expressed concern about Biden’s ability to lead the Democratic Party to victory.
“The Joe Biden I sat with at a fundraiser three weeks ago was not the ‘big’ Joe Biden of 2010,” Clooney wrote in an op-ed on July 10. “He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same guy we all witnessed at the debates.”
Following panning criticism of Biden’s performance in the June 27 debate with President Trump, Clooney also alluded to the president’s 81-year age, adding, “As Democrats, we all hold our breath and turn down the volume when our respected president steps off Air Force One and walks up to the microphone to answer an unscripted question.”
The actor also claimed he had spoken privately to numerous Democratic senators and representatives, who shared his view that “this president cannot win the election in November.”
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Clooney previously addressed the role his op-ed played in Biden’s decision while attending a press screening of his new film, “Wolves,” at the Venice Film Festival. Clooney argued that ultimately, only the president’s decision to step down will go down in history. “Everything else will be forgotten a long time ago,” Clooney said. “So I’m very proud of the state of the world right now. I think a lot of people are surprised and I think we’re all very hopeful about the future.”
You can see Clooney delving deeper into the subject in the Jimmy Kimmel Live clip above.