Biden ‘couldn't recognize A-list actor standing right in front of him & aide forced to intervene' in ‘startling' moment
TROUBLING SIGN 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, even calling the then-president "severely diminished."
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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
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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 The New Yorker.
They detailed how he took tiny steps as an aide guided him through the room during the June 15 event.
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.
Like the others, Biden thanked Clooney for being there.
Sensing something was amiss, Biden's assistant reportedly told him, 'You know George.'
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"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.
'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.
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.'
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.
"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.
"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.
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