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George Clooney won’t endorse in Democratic primary but thinks Trump will lose in 2020

by Joe Concha - 05/08/19 4:32 PM ET

Actor George Clooney said Tuesday night that he will not endorse any Democratic candidate for president during the primaries.

“I’m going to stay out of the primaries, [but] I’ll fundraise for anybody that is out there that’s interested in trying to make this president a one-term president.” Clooney told Variety.

{mosads}”I feel like part of the lessons you learn as you get older is it’s probably best not to commit in a primary, now,” Clooney continued. “At this point in the primary, we have to kind of see who ends up being the nominee so that you can really support them in the general and I think that’s a better move.”

Clooney said President Trump is beatable but warned that defeating him will be more difficult if a third-party candidate such as former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is in the race.

“The narrow edge he took to get there in 2016 has all gone so yes, I do [think he can be beaten],” Clooney said when asked about the president’s 2020 chances. “We just have to not have third party candidates like Howard Schultz. I’m not a fan at all.”

“Ralph Nader took out Al Gore [when] he took out thousands of votes out of Florida and Gore lost by 400. Those have consequences, those kinds of moves,” he added in reference to the 2000 presidential election narrowly won by President George W. Bush.

“If [Schultz] wants to run as a Democrat as he says he is then you should run as a Democrat, not try and lead the process before you even got started. So no, I’m not a fan,” he added.

Clooney has long been an activist for various political and humanitarian causes, most notably fighting poverty in Africa.

Tags 2020 election Al Gore Donald Trump