It’s a risky move for a Hollywood star to step into the world of politics.
This is true for those who are new to the spotlight. But it’s especially true for those with a long track record of success.
Enter George Clooney.
Months ago when President Joe Biden gave a shockingly poor debate performance against then-GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, donors began to withhold campaign cash, while party leaders and media pundits simultaneously started to talk about getting Biden to pull out of the race.
A huge amount of video footage had been emerging online, which suggested that Biden was experiencing cognitive difficulties.
One particular video piece featured Clooney at a Left Coast fundraiser. Also in attendance were Biden and former President Barack Obama, who was seen playing the role of caregiver to his former veep, even appearing to have to assist Biden in exiting the stage.
Clooney would soon become the de facto celebrity leader of a group seeking to shove Biden out of the spotlight.
A few short weeks after the Hollywood fundraiser, Clooney took the highly dramatic step of penning an op-ed column for the New York Times, which urged Biden to step aside.
“It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the ... Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” Clooney wrote.
The actor slammed Democrats seeking to retain Biden as the nominee, admonishing them to “stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we just saw.”
Clooney warned the Democratic Party, “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.”
The star’s prediction turned out to be accurate, even after Biden reluctantly stepped down and Vice President Kamala Harris was “selected” by party leaders as the Democrat presidential nominee.
After the decisive November 5, 2024 victory of President-elect Donald Trump, Clooney began to experience the unexpected, i.e., backlash and blame for his high-profile role in what a lot of folks viewed as a coup.
Amid the finger-pointing after the election loss, Clooney became one of the top scapegoats.
This may have prompted the recent announcement that from now on, he would avoid the political arena entirely.
“George feels that the backlash he is getting for Kamala losing is not at all warranted,” a source told the Daily Mail. “He [Clooney] thinks it is completely unfair to try and make him a scapegoat for her loss.”
In addition, it appears as though Clooney is directing some of his personal wrath at a former friend. Recent reports indicate that the star, who was previously best buds with Obama, is deliberately drifting away.
RadarOnline, via an anonymous source, has reported that Clooney is fuming over the former president having pushed him into becoming a front-and-center advocate for ending Biden’s campaign.
“George is furious with Obama for disappearing after the election disaster and leaving him holding the bag for pushing the plan with his Hollywood pal,” the source indicated.
“George became Barack’s surrogate in leading the charge for Joe to step away. Barack knew he would look like a traitor if he publicly called for Joe to be cut loose. And now, he’s trying to walk away from it all,” the source stated.
According to the source, Clooney “feels duped and vows he’s not going to be anyone’s political water boy anymore… and feels he stepped up and took a bullet for the team.”
The actor evidently wants Obama to publicly intervene with some crisis management.
The source said, “He [Clooney] thinks Obama should come forward and say that George did the right thing and it isn’t his fault that it didn’t work out.”
Apparently, Clooney is not optimistic that Obama will do any such thing, and the whole matter has left him “feeling like a patsy.”
It’s all totally understandable.
For years Clooney has worked hard to build his brand. Now his Hollywood star has been seriously sullied.
Will the public give the celebrity a pass?
The answer may be found in yet another tired “Ocean’s” sequel.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood. Read James Hirsen's Reports — More Here.
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