Actor George Clooney on Tuesday endorsed U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, hailing her âhistoricâ White House bid following President Joe Bidenâs exit from the 2024 presidential race.
Clooney is seen by many Democratic backers in Hollywood as a sort of compass given his engagement and activism. When he earlier this month calling for the president to not seek re-election in the wake of his disastrous debate performance, it was one of several watershed moments in a movement that ultimately ended with Bidenâs decision on Sunday to exit the race.
âPresident Biden has shown what true leadership is. Heâs saving democracy once again. Weâre all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest,â Clooney said in a statement to CNN on Tuesday.
Before his op-ed, Clooneyâs standing with Biden had helped rally wider donor and celebrity support, even among some who had never been big Biden fans and were not enthused about backing him long before the debate. The June fundraiser he headlined raised US$28 million for Bidenâs reelection campaign, the most for the Democratic Party from a single event in history.
So when he wrote that the Biden he saw during the fundraiser, which also included former president Barack Obama, âwas not the Joe ââ Biden of 2010. He wasnât even the Joe Biden of 2020,â it was a startling admission from a leading Democratic booster and someone who has interacted with Biden privately that, in his view, the president was unfit to serve another term.
âHe was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,â Clooney added in his op-ed, referencing Bidenâs faltering performance at the June 27 presidential debate on CNN.
Clooneyâs new statement is the latest in a wave of endorsements, including those from state delegations, that have helped push Harris needed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination.
Sheâs been backed by well more than the 1,976 pledged delegates needed to win the nomination on the first ballot, according to CNNâs delegate estimate.
CNNâs Michael Williams contributed to this report.