George Clooney warned Barack Obama about his New York Times op-ed demanding that Joe Biden drop out of the presidential race and the former president did nothing to stop him, a shocking new report revealed Thursday.
While Obama neither encouraged nor advised Clooney, he did not oppose it either, sources said. Political.
Clooney’s lawsuit sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party and the report that Obama knew about it is fueling speculation that he is secretly working to unseat Biden as the nominee, despite publicly defending the president after his dismal debate performance.
“The Biden campaign and many Democratic officials believe that Barack Obama is quietly working behind the scenes to orchestrate this,” MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, who is frequently in touch with the campaign, said of Clooney’s op-ed on Thursday.
Neither Obama’s office nor Clooney’s representative immediately responded to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
George Clooney warned Barack Obama about his New York Times op-ed and the former president did nothing to stop him – over Clooney and Obama in 2006
Obama and Clooney are close friends, having worked together on Africa-related issues during the Obama presidency. Clooney was a frequent visitor to the White House during that time.
The former president was also present at Clooney’s record-breaking $28 million fundraising event for Biden on June 16.
Clooney refers to that night in his op-ed.
“I love Joe Biden. As a senator, as vice president, and as president. I consider him a friend and I believe in him. I believe in his character. I believe in his morals. Over the last four years, he has won many of the battles he has faced,” Clooney wrote.
“But the one battle he can’t win is the battle against time. None of us can. It’s devastating to say, but the Joe Biden I stood with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all saw at the debate,” she said.
That fundraiser was overshadowed by questions about the president’s health after a video emerged showing Obama having to guide Biden off the stage.
The White House has called the video fake. Officials also noted that the fundraiser took place the day after Biden returned from participating in the G7 summit in Italy.
But the situation is taking on a new perspective after Biden’s debate performance, where he at times struggled to find words and stared blankly into the camera.
Obama and Clooney grew closer after Obama left office. And in his final year in office, Obama advised Biden against running for president so that Hillary Clinton would have a clearer path to the nomination in 2016.
Clooney said The Hollywood Reporter In 2017, he and Obama were texting frequently. The actor said the two share fights and even a risqué joke or two.
Both are keen basketball players and played basketball together when Obama was staying at Clooney’s home in England.
Obama is not the only senior Democrat working behind the scenes as concerns continue to grow over whether Biden has the mental capacity to be president.
Obama is seen gently tugging on Biden’s arm and leading him off the stage after the president froze during applause at a fundraiser in Los Angeles in June.
George Clooney meets then Vice President Joe Biden in 2009
President Joe Biden’s performance in the first debate has Democrats worried about losing the White House and both chambers of Congress in the November elections.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is doing some maneuvering.
On Wednesday, Pelosi suggested that Biden reconsider his stance on remaining the Democratic nominee.
“It’s up to the president to decide whether he’s going to run or not. We all encourage him to make that decision because time is running out,” she said on Morning Joe.
His comments were intended to serve as a green light to Democratic members, telling them to speak up about their concerns about Biden.
Fears are spreading among Democrats that Biden will not only lose in November, but will take Democratic lawmakers down with him.
If Republicans win the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives, Donald Trump would have no checks on his presidential power.
And Pelosi made it public because lawmakers come to her with their concerns.
“That’s why some of us are going with Pelosi… she’s tough, she’ll tell you like it is,” one House Democrat told Axios.
At least 10 Democratic lawmakers have publicly called on Biden to drop out of the race.