George Clooney threw his support behind Kamala Harris for president just two weeks after turning on President Joe Biden by writing a scathing op-ed urging him to drop out.
Last month, the 63-year-old actor and husband of prominent international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, 46, thanked President Biden, 81, for ‘saving democracy’ as he endorsed his vice president.
Clooney stated that he was excited for Harris, 59, and her ‘historic quest’ to win the upcoming election.
Now sources within the Democratic Party tell DailyMail.com Clooney’s recent involvement in the presidential race is part of a ‘calculated’ effort to put himself in line for a future White House run.
‘His endorsement of Kamala was definitely calculated. George is contemplating a future run for president and he has the support of one of the most powerful Democrats in the world, Barack Obama.
‘He has his scope set on a possible run for a Senate seat in 2026 and will undoubtedly continue to gain respect within the Democratic party,’ the insider said.
George Clooney, 63, is ‘contemplating a run for President,’ DailyMail.com has learned. Two weeks ago, he urged President Joe Biden, 81 (seen together here) to drop out of the running
The Ocean’s 11 actor’s vocal support of Harris came after he penned a scathing op-ed in the New York Times urging Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race against Donald Trump, 78.
‘There was a massive push amongst the Democrats to get Biden out of the race. George flicked the domino, which launched him into a different political spectrum,’ the government insider revealed.
In the past, Biden honored Clooney for his support, hosting him at the White House for the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2022.
Clooney has since become a force in the Democratic Party, raising millions for its candidates. He’s seen as an influential voice in American politics.
Clooney’s involvement in humanitarian efforts started in 2006 when George addressed the United Nations Security Council after visiting the drought-stricken Darfur region of Sudan. In 2007 he was awarded the 2007 Peace Summit Award. ‘
Clooney endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, 59 (pictured campaigning) last month after the Democratic candidate raised a record-breaking $81 million in 24 hours
George (alongside his wife Amal Clooney, 46) has become a force in the Democratic party, raising millions for candidates over the years
In 2010, George teamed up with the United Nations, Harvard University, and Google to launch the Satellite Sentinel Project.
This allows private satellites to photograph political threats to civilians and detect bombs. For this he was awarded the 2010 Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award.
In 2012, George and his dad demonstrated in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington D.C., to bring worldwide attention to the human rights violations in Sudan.
In 2016 George and his wife Amal started the Clooney Foundation for Justice, an organization to put an end to human rights abuses worldwide, with programs dedicated to fighting systemic injustice against vulnerable communities.
The foundation was showcased at the 2016 United Nations Summit hosted by former president Obama.
Over the years, the Oscar winning actor has testified before Congress and worked with two Secretaries of State, dozens of Senators and U.S. Presidents – forming an especially close relationship with Barack and Michelle Obama.
The political insider told DailyMail.com that the strong bond formed between George and Obama has helped push him into the political spotlight.
‘Obama’s backing for George is evidence that Clooney is being groomed for a future in politics.
‘Everyone recognizes the power and pull that George has, especially with Amal by his side,’ the insider said.
‘George has the support of one of the most powerful Democrats in the world, Barack Obama,’ the source said (Clooney and Obama pictured together at the White House in 2010)
Clooney has been a staple at the White House for more than 25 years. Pictured here in 1997 with former president Bill Clinton, 77, Clooney has become a force in the Democratic party
Clooney thanked Biden (pictured together at the White House in 2022) for ‘saving democracy’ just two weeks after he wrote in an op-ed ‘we are not going to win with this president’
George and his wife Amal Clooney, 46, started the Clooney Foundation for Justice in 2016 and have been heavily involved in the political scene during their marriage (seen in 2023)
The one thing that Clooney does not have, however, is experience in office.
‘George is not battle tested and has never run for office, but neither did Trump,’ the source pointed out.
‘What George does have is money and lots of pull. He could easily fund himself if he really needed to.’
In the op-ed, Clooney called out Democratic leaders for ignoring ‘every warning sign’ of Biden’s declining physical and mental health and for trying to defend his car-crash debate against Trump.
‘Without George, Biden wouldn’t have been forced out. He started the push with Obama’s support and guidance,’ the source told DailyMail.com.
‘Obama’s main advisor Ben Shapiro called for Biden to step down before George and didn’t get enough traction. George then followed with his op-ed because they knew the traction that his op-ed would get.
‘He had nothing to lose and everything to gain,’ the insider added.
Three weeks prior to the op-ed, on June 16, Clooney hosted a record-breaking $28 million fundraiser for Biden.
In a statement made to CNN endorsing Harris, Clooney tried to make amends with Biden while also lending his support to Harris.
‘President Biden has shown what true leadership is. He’s saving democracy once again,’ he told the outlet.
‘We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest.’
President Biden (pictured on July 11) announced that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday – just two weeks after Clooney wrote an op-ed urging for him to step down
Three weeks prior to Clooney’s op-ed, on June 16, the actor hosted a fundraiser for Biden that raised a record-breaking $28 million.
Facing intense pressure from the Democratic Party, Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday.
Biden announced his seismic decision in a one-page letter posted on social media, stating that it was in the country’s ‘best interest’ that he step down. In it he committed to serving until the end of this term in January.
The President had faced an increasingly frenzied clamor to step aside after a disastrous debate performance against Trump last month.
Biden’s fate was sealed with Clooney’s July 10 op-ed, in which he wrote that the elderly president couldn’t win the ‘battle against time.’
‘I love Joe Biden. As a senator. As a vice president and as president. I consider him a friend, and I believe in him. Believe in his character. Believe in his morals. In the last four years, he’s won many of the battles he’s faced,’ Clooney wrote.
‘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 fund-raiser 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,’ he said.
Clooney said he had heard this concerns from members of Congress he spoke to, including worries the Democratic Party will lose the House and Senate.
‘We are not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate. This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and congress member and governor that I’ve spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly,’ he wrote.
Biden and Clooney have a long relationship, going back to Biden’s day as chairman of the Senate Foreign Services Committee. Clooney was working on issues in Darfur and connected with him.
Clooney argued it was more important to beat Donald Trump in November than to keep Biden on the ticket.
‘Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw. We’re all so terrified by the prospect of a second Trump term that we’ve opted to ignore every warning sign,’ he wrote.
Biden and Clooney have also hit some bumps in their relationship.
The actor was reportedly furious at the White House in early June after Biden attacked an attempt by Amal, Clooney’s lawyer wife, to jail the Prime Minister of Israel.
Amal signed off a bid by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court last month to seek the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu alongside Hamas leaders for war crimes – a move the President denounced as ‘outrageous.’
Clooney reportedly called one of Biden’s closest advisers to make his feelings known.
But he still hosted a fundraiser – along with actress Julia Roberts and Obama – that helped to raise millions for Biden’s campaign.
The fundraiser, however was overshadowed with questions about the president’s health after a video appeared to show Obama having to guide Biden off stage.
In the video, Biden and Obama are seen waving and smiling while receiving a standing ovation in the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Biden applauds and gives the audience a thumbs up but then he stops moving as he stares out over the crowd for several long seconds.
