George Clooney Hails Biden as Most ‘Selfless’ President ‘Since George Washington’

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Hollywood actor and key Democratic fundraiser George Clooney declared President Joe Biden the most “selfless” leader “since George Washington” over the his decision to step out of the 2024 presidential race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Clooney’s high praise for Biden came during a news conference for his latest film Wolfs at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday when asked about the impact of a New York Times op-ed written by him in July calling for him to step aside as pressure mounted on the president.

According to the Washington Post, the actor told journalists: “The person who should be applauded is the president who did the most selfless thing that anyone’s done since George Washington.”

He continued: “What should be remembered is the selfless act of someone who — you know, it’s very hard to let go of power. We know that. We’ve seen it all around the world. And for someone to say, ‘I think there’s a better way forward.’”

Clooney dismissed the political maneuvering that led to Biden’s exit and said: “All the credit goes to him… And all the rest of it will be long gone and forgotten.”

Despite his focus on Biden, Clooney avoided any direct mention of Harris during the event, commenting: “I’m just very proud of where we are in the state of the world… and I think we’re all very excited for the future.”