{"id":2383888,"date":"2024-12-27T04:09:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-27T09:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/year-in-review-the-george-clooney-op-ed-that-stirred-a-coup-and-an-election-loss\/"},"modified":"2024-12-27T04:10:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-27T09:10:18","slug":"year-in-review-the-george-clooney-op-ed-that-stirred-a-coup-and-an-election-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/year-in-review-the-george-clooney-op-ed-that-stirred-a-coup-and-an-election-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Year in Review: The George Clooney op-ed that stirred a &#8216;coup&#8217; and an election loss"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fyear-in-review-the-george-clooney-op-ed-that-stirred-a-coup-and-an-election-loss%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2383888&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses a notable moment in the political landscape involving actor and Democratic fundraiser George Clooney. Following a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-takes-post-debate-victory-lap-as-dems-ponder-bidens-future-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"GOP takes post-debate victory lap as Dems ponder Biden\u2019s future - Washington Examiner\">disappointing debate performance<\/a> by President Joe Biden, Clooney published\u2062 an op-ed in July 2023, expressing concerns about Biden&#8217;s capabilities and advocating for a\u200b new Democratic nominee. He suggested potential successors, calling for voices like Wes Moore and Kamala\u200b Harris\u200b to take the lead. Clooney&#8217;s critique was both praised and criticized,\u2064 leading to a contentious atmosphere as Biden ultimately ceded the Democratic nomination to Harris.<\/p>\n<p>The op-ed highlighted Clooney&#8217;s \u200cinitial support for Biden, referencing a major \u200dfundraiser he held that raised a remarkable $28 million. However, videos of Biden during \u2062this event were released,\u2063 showing him appearing lost on stage, which fueled Clooney&#8217;s call for change.In response to clooney, former President Donald\u2062 Trump\u2064 remarked negatively about the\u2064 actor&#8217;s involvement in politics, suggesting he should return to television.<\/p>\n<p>As the \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-would-have-been-better-off-with-a-red-wave-two-years-ago-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Democrats would have been better off with a red wave two years ago - Washington Examiner\">political landscape evolved<\/a>, Clooney, buoyed by recent \u200bdevelopments, expressed his continued support for \u200dBiden and praised his leadership, even as he faced backlash from Trump and others. After the November elections, Clooney reportedly considered stepping back from political commentary, feeling it was unjust for him to be seen as a scapegoat for any election losses. The piece ultimately reflects on the \u200cintertwining of celebrity and politics, underscoring the complexities and challenges faced by those in the public eye.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Year in review: The Hollywood op-ed that stirred a &lsquo;coup&rsquo; and an election loss<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1916907\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Democratic fundraiser and <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hollywood\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Hollywood\">Hollywood<\/a> actor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-clooney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"George Clooney\">George Clooney<\/a> led the charge in July, just weeks after President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" title=\"George Clooney\">Joe Biden<\/a>&lsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">disastrous presidential debate performance<\/a>, when he issued a pressure campaign to oust the leading Democratic presidential candidate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;I love Joe Biden,&rdquo; Clooney began his brutal July 10 guest essay in the <em>New York Times.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe &lsquo;big F-ing deal&rsquo; Biden of 2010. He wasn&rsquo;t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,&rdquo; the celebrity wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Clooney declared that &ldquo;we need a new nominee.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s hear from Wes Moore and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Kamala Harris\">Kamala Harris<\/a> and Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom and Andy Beshear and J.B. Pritzker and others,&rdquo; Clooney wrote.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3220444\/voters-send-history-making-candidates-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>VOTERS SEND HISTORY-MAKING CANDIDATES TO CONGRESS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">George Clooney poses for photographers at the photo call for the film &lsquo;Wolfs&rsquo; during the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (Photo by Joel C Ryan\/Invision\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The<em> Ocean&rsquo;s Eleven<\/em> star had held a star-studded event in Los Angeles for Biden that raised a record $28 million. At the fundraiser, a video <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/libsoftiktok\/status\/1811075936047223072\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"leaked of Biden\">leaked of the president<\/a> seeming lost onstage and former President Barack Obama helping lead him off the stage.<\/p>\n<p>The White House called the fundraiser videos of Biden a &ldquo;cheap fake,&rdquo; but Clooney&rsquo;s op-ed revealed what he saw that night at the fundraiser.<\/p>\n<p>The satire website <em>Babylon Bee<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheBabylonBee\/status\/1811100579256475663\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"mocked\">mocked<\/a> Clooney&rsquo;s fundraiser and op-ed with the headline, &ldquo;In New &lsquo;Ocean&rsquo;s 14&rsquo;, George Clooney Pulls Off $30 Million Heist By Tricking People Into Giving Money To Politician Before Revealing He&rsquo;s Demented.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3239592\/senate-democrats-embrace-filibuster-stonewall-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>FILIBUSTER FLIP-FLOP: SENATE DEMOCRATS READY TO EMBRACE THE TOOL TO STONEWALL TRUMP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The actor-director received praise and criticism for his effort that succeeded in Biden handing the Democratic nomination to his vice president.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;President Biden has shown what true leadership is,&rdquo; Clooney said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s saving democracy once again. We&rsquo;re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In September, Clooney <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dom_lucre\/status\/1830354756243497303\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"lauded\">lauded<\/a> Biden for doing &ldquo;the most selfless thing that anybody has done since George Washington.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Then-presidential nominee Donald Trump slammed Clooney on his social media platform Truth Social by saying the actor &ldquo;turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Clooney should get out of politics and go back to television. Movies never really worked for him!!!&rdquo; Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/112765421764921160\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"blasted\">blasted<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel asked Clooney about Trump&rsquo;s comments telling the actor to &ldquo;get out of politics.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I will if he does,&rdquo; Clooney <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2024\/film\/news\/george-clooney-fires-back-donald-trump-fake-movie-actor-claim-1236150236\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"responded\">responded<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3263824\/republicans-roadmap-enact-trump-agenda-next-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>REPUBLICANS FLOAT ROADMAP TO ENACT TRUMP AGENDA IN NEXT CONGRESS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They stole the presidency of the United States. You can call it a coup, you can call it whatever. But they stole it,&rdquo; Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/us-elections\/article-826698\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"said\">said<\/a> at a Florida campaign rally. &ldquo;The way they took that away from him was not right.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Following November&rsquo;s election, Clooney was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/tvshowbiz\/article-14060889\/george-clooney-leaving-politics-scapegoat-Kamala-Harris-donald-trump.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"reportedly\">reportedly<\/a> said to be taking a step back from politics and thinks it is &ldquo;unfair&rdquo; to be seen as &ldquo;a scapegoat for her loss.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/playbook\/2024\/07\/11\/what-obama-and-pelosi-are-doing-about-biden-00167520\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>Politico<\/em> report<\/a> shared that Obama knew about Clooney&rsquo;s essay in the <em>New York Times <\/em>before its publication and &ldquo;didn&rsquo;t object to it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Clooney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skynews.com.au\/opinion\/george-clooney-furious-at-obama-for-manipulating-him-into-forcing-biden-out-of-election-race\/video\/1c67669f6565e7ffd4ad1395341add2c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"reportedly\">reportedly<\/a> has been &ldquo;complaining that Obama&rdquo; had &ldquo;manipulated him into doing the dirty work on his behalf&rdquo; and has left him to take most of the blame for the election loss. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney, left, listens to then-Sen. Barack Obama during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, on Thursday, April 27, 2007, to bring awareness to the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan. (AP Photo\/Mannie Garcia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3231875\/freedom-caucus-power-trump-big-win\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS CASHES IN ON POWER WITH TRUMP&rsquo;S BIG WIN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Hollywood star was not the only celebrity to put their popularity on the line to help the Harris campaign&rsquo;s efforts in the 2024 elections.<\/p>\n<p>Actor Ben Stiller teamed up with the Harris campaign for numerous events and Zoom calls. During a rant, Stiller shared, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m Jewish and Irish. &hellip; I wish I was black. Every white Jewish guy wishes he was black.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The<em> Zoolander<\/em> star also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3201256\/ben-stiller-zoolander-doug-emhoff-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"made various videos\">made various videos<\/a> with second gentleman Doug Emhoff to try to court more voters.<\/p>\n<p>Harris was seen in the final stretch of her campaign, doing battleground state rallies with A-list celebrities Beyonce, Katy Perry, Megan Thee Stallion, Oprah Winfrey, and Lizzo.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>According to records from the Federal Election Commission, many of Harris&rsquo;s presidential endorsements appeared to include substantial payments that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2024\/12\/07\/harris-campaign-oprah-winfrey-payment-fec-records\/76841145007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"included $1 million\">included $1 million<\/a> to Winfrey&rsquo;s production company and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2024\/12\/09\/harris-campaign-paid-beyonce-company-165000\/76866445007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"a $165,000\"> $165,000<\/a> to Beyonce&rsquo;s management company.<\/p>\n<p>Following November&rsquo;s election, numerous celebrities grew quiet, and some, including comedian Sarah Silverman, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/blogs\/in-the-know\/5022651-sarah-silverman-celebrities-politics-trump-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"lamented\">lamented<\/a> that &ldquo;no one&rdquo; wants to hear from celebrities about politics right now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1916907\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1916907\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Clooney&#8217;s op-ed in July called for Biden&#8217;s replacement after a poor debate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2678,"featured_media":2383889,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/George-Clooney-biden-2024.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34524,15322,47456],"class_list":["post-2383888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-george-clooney","tag-op-ed","tag-year-in-review"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/George-Clooney-biden-2024.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2383888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2678"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2383888"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2383888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2383892,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2383888\/revisions\/2383892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2383889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2383888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2383888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2383888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}