George Clooney says Harris pick was a mistake, stands by push for Biden to step aside

George Clooney said it was a mistake for Democrats to replace Joe Biden with Kamala Harris in the 2024 race, while maintaining he does not regret urging Biden to step aside last July. In a new interview, the actor and longtime party fundraiser said he had hoped for a quick primary after Biden’s withdrawal, arguing that elevating Harris by delegate vote left her making the case against her own record. “She was given a very tough task,” he said, adding that he still stands by his call for a new nominee.

Clooney’s comments revisit a tumultuous stretch for Democrats that began with his July 2024 opinion piece pressing Biden to exit after a widely criticized debate. Biden ended his campaign on July 21 and endorsed Harris, who then secured the nomination through a virtual roll call of party delegates in early August. Clooney later endorsed Harris, reflecting the rapid coalescence around her candidacy even as the party navigated the mechanics of replacing an incumbent at speed.

The actor also addressed personal blowback that followed his op-ed, including a profane rebuke from Biden’s son, Hunter. Clooney declined to revisit the exchange in detail, saying he wished Hunter well and did not see value in prolonging a public dispute. His remarks underscore how a high-profile intervention by a Hollywood donor became a flashpoint in an already fraught intraparty debate about electability and process.

Clooney’s renewed reflection arrives against the backdrop of his prominent role in Democratic fundraising, including a June 2024 Los Angeles event with Barack Obama that drew more than $30 million. For supporters, his critique last year was a frank assessment aimed at preserving down-ballot strength; critics saw celebrity overreach that risked party unity. By characterizing Harris’s task as unusually difficult while insisting his original judgment was necessary, Clooney is attempting to square two positions that shaped the Democrats’ late-summer pivot from the sitting president to a new nominee selected outside a traditional primary calendar.

Tags: George Clooney