George Clooney's pick to be the next Democrat presidential candidate makes surprising announcement
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore appeared on ABC's The View on Thursday when liberal co-host Joy Behar repeatedly pressed the Democrat on his plans for 2028.
'I am not running,' he reiterated about five times, even as Behar asked, 'What if we really, really need you?'
Instead, Moore, 46, insisted that Maryland is his priority - and he hopes to win re-election as the governor next year.
Moore has led the state since 2023 and has done 'a pretty bang up job' in the state, liberal co-host Sunny Hostin said on the show.
The governor has long been considered a potential standard-bearer for the nation's next president, and earlier this month, Clooney told CNN he thinks Moore 'in particular... is spectacular' to lead the Democrats moving forward.
'I think he is a guy that handled this tragedy in Baltimore beautifully,' the Oscar-winner said of Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse in early 2024.
'He's two tours of active duty in Afghanistan. He speaks sort of beautifully, he's smart. He's a proper leader,' he added of Moore.
'I like him a lot, I think he's someone we could all fall in behind,' Clooney added.
John Ronquillo, the director of the Institute for Public Leadership and a professor at the University of Maryland, has also suggested Moore could be the 'next Obama' - rising rapidly through the political ranks to ascend to the White House.
'While I want to be careful with comparisons — Barack Obama is Barack Obama and Wes Moore is Wes Moore — there's no denying that they've both had a meteoric ascent to political prominence,' Ronquillo told The Hill newspaper.
Obama endorsed Moore's bid for governor and cut a campaign ad for him.
But Moore is not the only potential Democrat leader.
Other names that have been floated include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
None of them have yet announced their intention to run in the presidential election, with two years to go before the primaries.
Regardless, Clooney warned Jake Tapper: 'We have to find someone rather soon.'
And even though Moore made clear on Thursday he does not want to run for president, he had some strong words for the current White House occupant.
He hit out President Donald Trump's tariff policy as causing 'chaos' in his interview on The View.
'I think this is a powerful moment because people are seeing the power of the president and the power of Washington, but I think what people are also seeing is what's the power of the governor, what's the power of the states, what's the power of the people,' the Maryland Democrat said.
Moore added that he 'will work with anyone who has the people of my state in their best interest,' but added, 'I will bow to no one.'
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