Oscar-winning actor and influential Democrat George Clooney is weighing in on who he believes should lead the party next, nearly a year after playing a key role in pushing President Joe Biden off the 2024 ticket with a scathing New York Times op-ed.
In a candid interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Wednesday, while promoting his Broadway adaptation of “Good Night and Good Luck,” Clooney gave a strong endorsement to one rising Democrat he said is “levitating above” the rest: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
When Tapper asked who he had his “eyes on,” Clooney praised several prominent Democrats before confidently singling out Moore as his top pick.
“I really … there’s one person in particular I think is spectacular. There are a few: I like [Kentucky Governor] Andy Beshear,” Clooney said, prompting Tapper to respond that it is the actor’s home state: “You’re Kentucky.”
“I’m a Kentucky guy. I like him, and he’s a good guy. And they’re smart. And he’s won in a red state. He’s a Democrat. I like [Michigan Governor] Gretchen [Whitmer], I think is very good,” Clooney continued.
However, he continued to praise Moore.
“But who I think is who I think is levitating above that is Wes Moore. I think he is the guy that has handled this tragedy in Baltimore beautifully,” he said. “He has two tours of duty in Afghanistan, active duty. He speaks sort of beautifully. He’s smart. He ran a hedge fund. He ran the Robin Hood Foundation. He’s a proper leader.”
He then took a jab at Republicans: “And Democrats, you know, the thing is, we say Democrats fall in love and Republicans fall in line. Although I think Republicans have fallen in love a little bit [with Trump].”
But then the actor circled back to Moore.
“I like him a lot. I think he could be someone we could all join in behind,” Clooney said. “We have to find somebody rather soon, you know, because we need to redo… Look, the other side, the side that I don’t support, they are, you know, running through government and doing their thing. So it’s our job now to put together a proper team to stand up because we’re right now polling very poorly.”
Clooney was primarily responsible for pushing Biden out of the race last year after his poor debate performance against then-GOP nominee Donald Trump.
He was also reportedly “furious” with Barack Obama, accusing the 44th president of using him as a “patsy” in a covert effort to push Biden out of office.
“George is furious with Obama for disappearing after the election disaster and leaving him holding the bag for pushing the plan with his Hollywood pals,” an unnamed entertainment industry source close to the A-list actor told RadarOnline.
“George feels duped and vows he’s not going to be anyone’s political water boy anymore,” another source told the outlet.
Shortly after leading a Hollywood fundraiser for Biden’s re-election campaign, Clooney emerged as a significant figure in the political arena by calling for the president to step down in an op-ed. “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee,” Clooney wrote.
The devastating op-ed was published not long after Biden’s disastrous debate performance in late June. Clooney stated that as a “lifelong Democrat,” he loved Biden and believed that he had done an excellent job in office.
“But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time. None of us can. It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” Clooney wrote.
I love George Clooney, I always have, but we need a stronger leader than a Governor this go around! We need Corey Booker to lead the Democrats! He is fearless, Smart, Family Oriented, people Oriented, knows Politics, knows Climate and knows how to restore our relationships with the world if they will have us back!