George Clooney Addresses Impact of His Op-Ed on U.S. Presidential Race: “Biden Gets All the Credit”

George Clooney has lauded President Joe Biden for stepping down as the Democratic presidential candidate to make way for Kamala Harris, describing the move as “the most selfless thing that anybody has done since George Washington.”

The actor-director appeared at a press event alongside co-star Brad Pitt for Jon Watt’s Wolfs, premiering at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday.

When asked about his recent op-ed for The New York Times titled, “I Love Joe Biden, but We Need a New Nominee” published July 10, Clooney took the opportunity to praise the 81-year-old. “The person who should be applauded is the President who did the most selfless thing that anybody has done since George Washington,” Clooney told the conference.

“All of the machinations that got us there, none of that’s going to be remembered, and it shouldn’t be,” he continued. “What should be remembered is the selfless act of someone who did the hardest thing to do. It’s very hard to let go of power — we know that; we’ve seen it all around the world — and for someone to say, I think there’s a better way forward, all the credit goes to him, and that’s really the truth.”

Clooney and Pitt brought their duel charisma act to the festival for the world premiere of Watt’s action comedy, in which they play competing criminal fixers accidentally assigned to the same job. The two movie stars and real-world pals traded friendly jabs, praise and filmmaking insights in Italy at a press conference for Wolfs held ahead of its world premiere.

Wolfs marks the first time Pitt and Clooney have co-starred in a film since the Coen Brothers’ political satire Burn After Reading in 2008. Their first time collaborating was for the Ocean’s franchise from 2001 to 2007.

Just days before the two movie stars landed in Venice, news broke that Watts has a deal in place with Apple to write and direct a Wolfs sequel. It is unclear if Clooney and Pitt have also already signed on for the follow-up.

Wolfs will launch on Apple TV+ on Sept. 27, following its Sept. 20 limited theatrical release via Sony.