Actor and longtime Democratic supporter George Clooney says he believes it was a “mistake” for Kamala Harris to take former President Joe Biden’s place as the Democratic nominee in the 2024 race.
During an interview on “CBS News Sunday Morning,” Clooney reflected on his decision to publicly urge Biden to end his reelection campaign last summer. He said he doesn’t regret writing his op-ed in The New York Times, which argued that Biden’s age and fading energy made it unlikely he could win another term.
When asked whether he would make the same call again, Clooney said yes. “We had an opportunity,” he explained. “What I wanted was an open primary — to really test the candidates and see who could take on Trump effectively.”
Still, Clooney said Harris wasn’t the right person to step in. “The problem with Kamala,” he said, “is that she had to run against her own record. That’s a nearly impossible position to be in when you’re trying to convince voters you’d take a different approach.” He added that Harris was handed a very difficult situation and that “it was a mistake, honestly — but it’s done.”
Clooney was one of the earliest high-profile Democrats to publicly call for Biden to step aside. Soon after, Biden ended his campaign and endorsed Harris as his replacement. Clooney thanked Biden at the time for what he described as “saving democracy once again” and offered his support to Harris.
Even so, Clooney admitted in his new interview that he’s unsure how much difference the switch ultimately made. “Maybe we would’ve lost more House seats if nothing changed — who knows?” he said. “But not speaking up would’ve been dishonest.”
He also addressed criticism from Hunter Biden, who had blasted him for helping pressure his father to drop out. Clooney said he saw Hunter’s comments but declined to engage. “A lot of what he said just wasn’t true,” he remarked. “But looking backward doesn’t help anyone — not him, not the party. I just wish him well in his recovery and hope he finds peace.”
Clooney closed by saying he has his own strong opinions about how events unfolded but sees no point in public feuds within the Democratic Party.