It seems actor George Clooney is still facing backlash for advocating that President Joe Biden drop out of the 2024 presidential election months before U.S. citizens were set to cast their ballots. But a recent comment from an alleged insider suggests that the “Wolfs” star wants to drag his friend, former President Barack Obama, into the controversy with him.
RadarOnline reported this week that its supposed unnamed source claims it was Obama who urged Clooney to publicly call for Biden to step aside and hand the reins over to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Radar reported that the unnamed tipster said, “George is furious with Obama for disappearing after the election disaster and leaving him holding the bag for pushing the plan with his Hollywood pal.”
“Obama and Clooney have been tight for years,” the outlet reports it was told by the anonymous mouthpiece. “And George became Barack’s surrogate in leading the charge for Joe to step away. Barack 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.”
In July Clooney wrote a scathing op-ed in The New York Times where he expressed his love and support for the president but strongly urged him to abandon his campaign for the country’s sake after a disastrous performance in the first presidential debate.
“We are not going to win in November with this president,” he said in the piece, suggesting several alternatives. He even addressed concerns about shifting gears.
“All of the scary stories that we’re being told about what would happen next are simply not true. In all likelihood, the money in the Biden-Harris coffers could go to help elect the presidential ticket and other Democrats,” he wrote, offering, “The new nominee wouldn’t be left off ballots in Ohio. We Democrats have a very exciting bench. We don’t anoint leaders or fall sway to a cult of personality; we vote for a president.”
But now that the “cult of personality” actually hurt the replacement candidate, Vice President Harris, who is widely regarded as one of the most qualified to ever run for the top office, Clooney has become the target of many jokes from low-information commenters and trolls.
On social media, some even blamed him for the devastating loss: “It’s all George Clooney’s fault!”
“George feels duped and vows he’s not going to be anyone’s political water boy anymore,” Radar also reported its alleged insider said.
The person adds that the “The American” star “feels he stepped up and took a bullet for the team, and now everyone’s complaining about the bloodbath.”
Clooney, according to Radar, reportedly is upset that despite other celebrities aligning themselves with the Harris-Walz campaign — like Beyoncé, John Legend, Taylor Swift, and Eminem — people are only focusing on him.
“He thinks Obama should come forward and say that George did the right thing and it isn’t his fault that it didn’t work out,” the alleged source said. “But he doesn’t expect that will be forthcoming, and it’s left George feeling like a patsy.”
The conservative Daily Mail tabloid reported weeks ago that it was told by yet another unnamed insider that Clooney is stepping away from politics. One comment indicated that the “Ocean’s Eleven” star had even considered running for office himself, but with the outcome of this election, many believe those dreams have been dashed.
While Vice President Harris stepped up to the challenge, she ultimately lost to Trump, with 49.9% of the vote going to him compared to Harris’ 48.3%, according to CNN. The 45th president, who will also serve as the 47th, secured 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226.
Fewer people voted in 2024 compared to 2020. Comparing the two elections, Trump added about 2.8 million votes to his 2020 total in his 2024 victory over Harris.
On the other hand, Harris underperformed by about 6.8 million votes compared to her boss in 2020, according to the news outlet’s election results as of Nov. 25. She received about 6.8 million fewer votes than her current boss.
Out of the more than 154 million people whose votes have been counted this year, Harris received nearly 74.5 million votes, while Trump garnered nearly 77 million votes. This disparity is less than the population of Chicago or the borough of Brooklyn in New York City.
