George Clooney ‍Praises Biden’s Decision to Withdraw Candidacy

Hollywood star George Clooney, 63, has once again commended President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw his ‌candidacy, calling it a “selfless” act.

At ⁣the Venice International Film Festival in Italy, Clooney was asked about ⁤the influence he thought his actions had on President Biden’s withdrawal from‌ the presidential race. According to the New York Times and the Washington Post, Clooney responded by saying, “The person who deserves applause is the president who did the most selfless thing since George Washington.”

Clooney emphasized ⁤that President Biden’s actions will be remembered, stating, “What ⁢got us there‍ will not be remembered, what will be remembered is someone’s selfless actions.” He added, “All credit goes to him (Biden),​ and everything else will⁣ disappear and be forgotten.”

Earlier, after President Biden’s​ disappointing performance in the first presidential debate on June 27,⁢ Clooney‍ contributed an op-ed titled ‍”I Love Joe Biden, But We Need a New Candidate”⁢ to ‍the New York Times on July‌ 10. This move fueled public opinion calling for Biden to drop out of the Democratic presidential race.

Clooney had previously contributed‍ significantly to raising $28 million at‌ a fundraising event for President Biden held ⁤in⁢ Los Angeles last June. His public call for Biden’s resignation was seen as ⁤a significant blow to the⁤ President’s campaign.

After Biden announced ‌his withdrawal from the race, Clooney stated that “President Biden has shown ⁤what true leadership is.” This was his​ first public statement on the issue since the announcement.

Although Clooney did not directly reference Vice President Kamala Harris, the ‍Democratic nominee, he expressed his ⁣pride in the current‌ state of affairs, saying, “We’re very proud of where we are right now, which⁢ is amazing to a lot of people.” He added, “We’re all very excited⁢ about the future.”

Clooney⁤ was at the festival to promote his film “Wolfs,” in ⁢which he stars alongside Brad Pitt. The film was initially slated⁤ for a wide theatrical release worldwide but was later given a⁢ limited week-long theatrical release in ​the United States before being released on Apple TV+.

Clooney expressed disappointment⁢ over the film’s reduced theatrical release, stating, “We wanted a wide release, and Brad ‍and ⁤I even gave up part of our salaries to do that.”⁣ He ‌also denied reports that he and Pitt each received $35 million for the film,‍ emphasizing that their salaries were much lower.

Despite his​ disappointment, Clooney positively evaluated the changes brought about by the streaming era, saying, “The democratization of our industry is‍ not a bad thing.” ‌He added, “Clearly more ‌people are watching movies thanks to streaming companies, and this is a good thing.”