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CNN
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Actor George Clooney on Tuesday praised Vice President Kamala Harris’ “historic” White House run and continued to endorse her following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.
Clooney’s activism has led him to be seen as a kind of compass by many Democrats in Hollywood. Earlier this month, he penned an op-ed in The New York Times urging the president not to seek reelection following his dismal debate performance, one of several turning points in a campaign that ultimately ended with Biden’s decision on Sunday to drop out of the race.
“President Biden has demonstrated what true leadership is. He is once again saving our democracy, and we are all so excited to do all we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic challenge,” Clooney said in a statement to CNN on Tuesday.
Before Clooney’s op-ed, his support for Biden had helped him attract a broader range of donors and celebrities, even among those who had not been Biden’s biggest fans or had been hesitant to support him long before the debate. A fundraiser he headlined in June raised $28 million for Biden’s reelection campaign, the largest amount ever for a single Democratic event.
So when he wrote “The Biden I saw at a fundraiser attended by former President Barack Obama was not the ‘big’ Joe Biden of 2010. He’s not even the Joe Biden of 2020,” he said. It was surprising to see a prominent Democratic supporter and someone who has personal contact with Biden admitting that the president is unfit to serve another term.
“He was the same person we witnessed at the debate,” Clooney added in the op-ed, referring to Biden’s lackluster performance in the June 27 presidential debate on CNN.
Clooney’s new statement is the latest in a wave of endorsements, including from state delegations, that have helped Harris cross the threshold needed to win the Democratic presidential nomination.
According to CNN delegate estimates, she has far more support than the 1,976 pledged delegates needed to win the nomination on the first ballot.
CNN’s Michael Williams contributed to this report.
