George Clooney is praising President Biden for showing “true leadership” by exiting the 2024 White House race, after the “Gravity” actor had made a public push calling for the commander in chief to drop out.
Biden, Clooney said in a Tuesday statement to ITK, “has shown what true leadership is” and is “saving democracy once again.”
The Academy Award winner also backed Vice President Harris’s presidential bid, saying, “We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest.”
The statement was first reported by CNN.
The performer, a Biden supporter and top Democratic fundraiser, rocked Hollywood and the political world earlier this month with a New York Times op-ed that called on the 81-year-old commander in chief to end his reelection bid over age-related concerns about his physical and mental acuity.
Clooney, who had hosted a star-studded fundraiser for Biden just weeks before the Times piece, said Democrats were “not going to win in November with this president.”
“Is it fair to point these things out? It has to be. This is about age. Nothing more. But also nothing that can be reversed,” Clooney, 63, said.
After initially insisting he would stay in the race, Biden on Sunday caved to pressure from a growing number of fellow Democrats and public figures and withdrew.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a statement. He later endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee.
—Updated at 1:31 p.m.