California, US:
Following Democrats’ devastating losses in the 2024 US presidential election, actor George Clooney is reportedly ‘furious’ at former President Barack Obama using The American star to push President Joe Biden out of the poll race. Days before Mr Biden ended his Presidential campaign, George Clooney wrote a strongly worded op-ed questioning if the 81-year-old could remain president, casting a shadow of doubt over his health and cognitive abilities.
The Ocean’s Eleven actor has reportedly been a close confidante of former President Obama, and it was the latter that allegedly convinced Mr Clooney to publicly ask Mr Biden to step out of the race.
However, after Donald Trump officially secured a second term in the White House, the actor has been facing a backlash from the Democrats’ loss, as it was his article that was widely credited for changing the course of the election.
Mr Clooney is now “complaining that Obama who sort of manipulated him into doing the dirty work on his behalf has left him to take most of the blame for the election loss,” according to a report by Sky News.
A report by OK! Magazine said, “Obama and Clooney have been tight for years, and George became Barack’s surrogate in leading the charge for Joe to step away.”
“George is furious with Obama for disappearing after the election disaster and leaving him holding the bag for pushing the plan with his Hollywood pals,” the article quoted an insider as saying.
As per the report, Mr Obana knew “he would look like a traitor if he publicly called for Joe to be cut loose. And now, he’s trying to walk away from it all.”
Now, amid public backlash over his article, the actor is reportedly feeling “duped” and “vows he’s not going to be anyone’s political water boy anymore.”
“George feels he stepped up and took a bullet for the team,” the report said.
George Clooney’s Op-ed
Days before Mr Biden endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidential race, Mr Clooney wrote a widely read opinion article for the New York Times, highlighting the President’s poor performance during his debate against his Democratic rival. The article claimed it would not be possible for the 81-year-old leader to win the head-on-head competition against Mr Trump.
“It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser 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,” the article read.
“Was he tired? Yes. A cold? Maybe. But our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw. We’re all so terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term that we’ve opted to ignore every warning sign,” it added
