‘You know George': Biden failed to recognise Clooney at major fundraiser, new book says
Washington: Joe Biden failed to recognise mega-star George Clooney at a major fundraiser the actor hosted for Biden's campaign, according to a new book that investigates the former president's physical and mental decline and his team's efforts to play down its significance.
The book, by CNN journalist Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson, paints a picture of an elderly man who by 2024 was struggling to manage the demands of the presidency and the intense schedule of a re-election campaign.
It reports that Clooney flew from Europe, where he was working on a film, to Los Angeles for the June 15, 2024 fundraiser that ultimately raised a record-breaking $US30 million for Biden. The president, too, had jetted in from the G7 in Italy, and arrived at the Peacock Theatre looking 'diminished'.
Clooney, a major Democratic donor, had not seen Biden since an event in Washington in December 2022. The book says the actor knew Biden might be tired, but the man before him – shuffling and seemingly guided by an aide – looked 'as if he'd aged a decade' in 18 months.
The book quotes an unnamed Hollywood identity who watched as Biden greeted guests at the shindig. 'It was like watching someone who was not alive,' the person said. 'It was startling. And we all looked at each other. It was so awful.'
Biden gave Clooney the same generic greeting – 'thank you for being here' – as everybody else. 'You know George,' an aide prompted.
'Yeah, yeah,' Biden reportedly responded. The two men then had an exchange in which Clooney asked Biden how he was, and enquired about his G7 trip. 'It was fine,' the president said.
It seemed clear to those involved in the encounter that Biden had not recognised Clooney, one of the world's most famous people, Tapper and Thompson write.
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