Biden ‘couldn't recognize A-list actor standing right in front of him & aide forced to intervene' in ‘startling' moment
JOE Biden failed to recognize George Clooney at a fundraiser as the A-list actor stood right in front of him, according to insiders.
Witnesses called it a "startling" moment as Biden's aide was forced to intervene multiple times to remind Biden who the Hollywood icon was.
Advertisement
2
Joe Biden reportedly couldn't remember the name of a popular actor and longtime friend who was standing right in front of him
Credit: AP
2
Biden had known George Clooney for over two decades
Credit: Refer to Caption
The concerning incident involving Clooney and Biden emerged in a new book, Original Sin, by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson.
Reflecting on Biden's 2024 presidential campaign, they wrote about how Biden blanked on who Clooney was at the fundraiser hosted by the actor for the Democratic candidate's re-election.
The authors described Biden as looking 'severely diminished, as if he'd aged a decade since Clooney last saw him in December 2022" in an excerpt of the book obtained by
They detailed how he took tiny steps as an aide guided him through the room during the June 15 event.
Advertisement
READ MORE NEWS
He'd just gotten back from the G-7 leaders' summit in Italy that morning.
'It was like watching someone who was not alive,' a Hollywood source said in the book.
'It was startling. And we all looked at each other. It was so awful.'
Biden had been greeting guests with a polite "thank you for being here," when he approached Clooney, who he's known for nearly two decades.
Advertisement
Most read in The US Sun
Like the others, Biden thanked Clooney for being there.
Sensing something was amiss, Biden's assistant reportedly told him, 'You know George.'
Joe Biden Faces New Health Concern After Prostate Exam Discovery
"Yeah, yeah,' Biden said back - with the authors noting Clooney is one of the most recognizable men in the world and the host of the fundraiser.
'Hi, Mr. President,' Clooney said.
Advertisement
'How are ya?' Biden replied.
Clooney asked how his trip was and Biden said fine - but the authors insisted it seemed as if Biden didn't recognize Clooney.
'George Clooney,' his aide said again.
'Oh, yeah! Hi, George,' Biden replied.
Advertisement
Clooney was left extremely concerned and the author's source at the party added, "It was not OK."
LAST MEETING
Biden had last seen Clooney in December 2022 at the Kennedy Center Honors.
'Mentors—he mentors these—those historic kids from Parkland on their march and their lives—against gun violence,' Biden said at the event.
'I met with every one of those kids, and they really appreciate what you did, George. Not a joke.'
Advertisement
The actor continued defending the then-president until Biden's disastrous performance at the first presidential election on June 27, 2024.
During the debate, Biden stumbled over his words and looked disassociated while arguing with Donald Trump.
The former president went on an interview with George Stephanopoulos to try to amend the situation, but it only made matters worse.
Days after the fiasco, on July 10, Clooney wrote a New York Times op-ed letter calling for Biden to drop out of the election.
Advertisement
"The Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe 'big F-ing deal' Biden of 2010,' Clooney wrote.
'He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."
Timeline of Biden's failed re-election bid
President Joe Biden endured weeks of calls to step aside before he announced on July 21 that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. Here are key developments leading up to his decision.
June 27:
Biden's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump sparks calls for him to step aside. His voice was raspy and he trailed off several times after having already endured questions about his age and mental capacity following a series of blunders at public events.
July 2:
Polls after the debate indicate that Trump is pulling ahead. Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett was the first Democratic congressman to publicly urge Biden to drop his bid for re-election, and big Democratic donors issued the same call a day later.
July 5:
Biden does a live TV interview with George Stephanopoulos where he tries to quell fears about his age and debate performance. He called the debate "bad night" and said he was under the weather and "exhausted."
July 10:
Vermont Senator Peter Welch becomes the first senator to call for Biden to drop out.
July 11:
Biden refers to Ukrainian President Zelensky as President Putin at a NATO event.
July 13:
Trump is shot at a campaign rally by a wannabe assassin. His popularity and favorability rating soared after he was seen bloodied on stage but walked off with a fist in the air, telling the crowd to "fight!"
July 17:
California Representative Adam Schiff and a series of other Democrats call for Biden to step aside. Even former President Barack Obama tells allies that Biden's path to victory has "greatly diminished." Biden tests positive for Covid-19 hours after saying he would consider ending his bid if he were diagnosed with "some medical issue."
July 19:
Biden insists he will continue campaigning in his first statement since Obama's U-turn, despite reports that he would decide to drop out by the weekend.
July 21:
Just before 2 pm, Biden announces he is stepping aside in the 2024 election and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris.
The actor wrote that Biden's interview with the ABC host 'only reinforced' the fact that the candidate was not fit to be president.
"The one battle he cannot win is the fight against time.
Advertisement
"None of us can,' Clooney concluded.
On July 21, Kamala Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee for president.
Tapper and Thompson's book, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, goes on sale on May 20, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Jury deliberations begin in Harvey Weinstein's sex crimes retrial
Jurors started deliberating on Thursday in Harvey Weinstein's New York sex crimes retrial, tasked with deciding — again — a case that encapsulated the #MeToo movement. The seven-woman, five-man jury is considering two counts of criminal sex act and one count of rape, each relating to a different accuser and a different date. In this case, the criminal sex act charge is the higher-degree felony. Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty. Harvey Weinstein (Olga Fedorova/Pool Photo via AP) Nearly eight years ago, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against the Oscar-winning movie producer propelled the #MeToo movement. Some of those accusations later generated criminal charges and convictions in New York and California. The New York conviction from 2020 was subsequently overturned, leading to the retrial before a new jury and a different judge. Jurors heard more than five weeks of testimony, including lengthy and sometimes fiery questioning of Weinstein's three accusers in the case. Jessica Mann said he raped her in 2013, when she was trying to build an acting career. Miriam Haley accused him of forcibly performing oral sex on her in 2006, when she was looking for work in entertainment production. Kaja Sokola, who was not involved in Weinstein's first trial, told jurors that he forced oral sex on her, too, during 2006. At the time, she was a teenage fashion model trying to break into acting. 'They all had dreams of pursuing careers in the defendant's world, the entertainment industry,' prosecutor Nicole Blumberg told jurors in her closing argument on Tuesday. She contended that Weinstein let the women think he was interested in their careers when what actually interested him were their bodies, and 'he was going to have their bodies and touch their bodies whether they wanted him to or not'. Weinstein chose not to testify. His defence called other witnesses, including some former friends of Ms Sokola's and Ms Mann's. Weinstein's attorneys argued that all three accusers consented to Weinstein's advances because they wanted help with their Hollywood aims. All three stayed on friendly terms with him afterwards, a point the defence emphasised. 'It's transactional, folks. Yes, he wants to fool around with them, and yes, they want something from him,' defence lawyer Arthur Aidala said in his summation on Tuesday.
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
China and US agree to more tariff talks amid trade stand-off
China and the US have agreed to more tariff talks amid a trade stand-off and concerns over rare earths, President Donald Trump said after a call with China's leader. Mr Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke on Thursday at a time when stalled tariff negotiations between their two countries have impacted global trade. The conversation was confirmed by the Chinese foreign ministry, which said Mr Trump initiated the call. The White House did not immediately comment. Mr Trump had declared one day earlier that it was difficult to reach a deal with Mr Xi. Chinese President Xi Jinping (Pavel Bednyakov/AP) 'I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!' Mr Trump posted on Wednesday on his social media site. Trade negotiations between the United States and China stalled shortly after a May 12 agreement between the two countries to reduce their tariff rates while talks played out. Behind the gridlock has been the continued competition for an economic edge. The US accuses China of not exporting critical minerals, and the Chinese government objects to America restricting its sale of advanced chips and its access to student visas for college and graduate students. Mr Trump has lowered his 145% tariffs on Chinese goods to 30% for 90 days to allow for talks. China also reduced its taxes on US goods from 125% to 10%. The back and forth has caused sharp swings in global markets and threatens to hamper trade between the two countries. Treasury Sscretary Scott Bessent had suggested that only a conversation between Mr Trump and Mr Xi could resolve these differences so that talks could restart in earnest. The underlying tension between the two countries may still persist, though. President Donald Trump (Alex Brandon/AP) Even if negotiations resume, Mr Trump wants to lessen America's reliance on Chinese factories and reindustrialise the US, whereas China wants the ability to continue its push into technologies such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence that could be crucial to securing its economic future. The United States ran a trade imbalance of 295 billion dollars with China in 2024, according to the Census Bureau. While the Chinese government's focus on manufacturing has turned it into a major economic and geopolitical power, China has been muddling through a slowing economy after a real estate crisis and coronavirus pandemic lockdowns weakened consumer spending. Mr Trump and Mr Xi had last spoken in January, three days before Inauguration Day. The pair discussed trade then, as well as Mr Trump's demands that China do more to prevent the synthetic opioid fentanyl from entering the United States. Mr Trump had long expressed optimism about the prospects for a major deal, before his post suggesting Xi was making that difficult. Last week, Mr Trump went further, posting: 'The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US.' 'So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!'
Irish Examiner
5 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Russia warns it will respond to Ukraine drone attacks ‘how and when' it sees fit
Russia will respond to Ukraine's daring drone operation 'how and when' it sees fit, the Kremlin has warned, seeming to confirm reports Vladimir Putin had told Donald Trump that Moscow was obliged to retaliate. Ukraine has been bracing for retaliation after its SBU security service carried out a surprise drone strike over the weekend, targeting four airbases and damaging up to 20 Russian warplanes deep inside the country, according to US officials. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, asked on Thursday what Moscow's response would be, said: 'How and when our military deems it appropriate.' Trump said Putin had 'strongly' told him that Russia would respond to the recent attacks on its airfields, during an unannounced phone call on Wednesday. The US embassy in Ukraine warned of a continuing risk of 'significant airstrikes' and advised its citizens to exercise caution. Hours after Trump and Putin spoke, Russia launched a series of overnight missiles and drones across Ukraine. At least five people, including a one-year-old boy, his mother and grandmother, were killed when a drone struck a residential building in the northern Ukrainian city of Pryluky. The child was the grandson of an emergency responder, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said. 'One of the rescuers arrived to respond to the aftermath right at his own home,' Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram. 'It turned out that a Shahed drone hit his house.' This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows damage after a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Belaya Air Base in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia in Russia captured on June 4, 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP) In the southern city of Kherson, a large hole was seen in an administration building after missile attacks by the Russian army. But Russian officials have suggested that Moscow has yet to respond to Ukraine's weekend drone attack, which came a day before two bridges collapsed, killing seven people – attacks Moscow blamed on Ukrainian sabotage. After Ukraine carried out its unorthodox operation using drones smuggled into Russia on trucks, pro-Kremlin war bloggers and prominent commentators posted on Russian media to demand retribution, with some calling for nuclear retaliation. While Russian officials have previously indicated their willingness to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, analysts consider the deployment of such weapons on the battlefield highly unlikely at this stage of the war. Russia's nuclear doctrine permits the use of nuclear weapons in response to attacks that pose a 'critical threat' to the country's sovereignty. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's drone attack in the Pryluky, Chernihiv region, Ukraine, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) In a podcast for the independent outlet Meduza, Pavel Podvig, a Geneva-based expert on Russian nuclear forces, rejected suggestions that Ukraine's recent drone strikes could justify such a response. He argued the operation did not threaten Russia's sovereignty or territorial integrity, nor did it undermine the retaliatory capacity of its strategic nuclear arsenal. A nuclear strike would also be strongly condemned by China, Russia's most influential ally, with Xi Jinping previously warning Putin against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Instead, as in past responses to Ukrainian military successes, Moscow may launch a wave of deadly ballistic missile strikes – or deploy its experimental Oreshnik missile, which was used at least once last year. Ukraine has intensified its sabotage operations over the past week, including detonating underwater explosives beneath a key bridge linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014. On Wednesday, a visibly angry Putin for the first time reacted to the Ukrainian attacks, accusing Kyiv of 'organising terrorist attacks'. 'How can we have meetings like this under these conditions? What is there to talk about? Who has negotiations with … terrorists?' he said. This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after a Ukrainian drone attack targeted the Belaya Air Base in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia in Russia on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP) Trump has not publicly commented on the Ukrainian drone operation, but sources who reportedly discussed it with him told Axios he described the attack as 'strong' and 'badass' and saw it as a setback to his diplomatic initiative to end the war. While the drone strikes dealt a tangible blow to Russia's military capacity and offered a morale boost for Kyiv, the broader picture remains less rosy for Ukraine. More than three years after launching its invasion, Russia is largely on the offensive, making steady battlefield gains in eastern Ukraine and continuing to pound Ukrainian cities and civilians with drones and missiles. Putin's forces have been advancing further into Ukraine's northern region of Sumy, threatening the regional capital after taking more than 150 square km of the area in less than two weeks. With Putin showing no willingness to agree to a lasting ceasefire, Ukrainian officials and the military are preparing for a Russian summer offensive, with Moscow intent on advancing into Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions. - The Guardian
