'Shaken to his core': George Clooney's reaction when Biden didn't recognize him

Joe Biden's cognitive status during the 2024 presidential election campaign was one of the issues on the public's mind, despite certain media outlets' attempt to hide the truth and cover up that narrative. Certain gaffes, lapses, falls and more evidenced that reality, just like a moment that happened with a Hollywood star that has just been made public.

During a fundraising event with celebrities such as Julia Roberts, Jimmy Kimmel and Barbra Streisand present held when Biden was still seeking reelection, the former president coincided with George Clooney, who is identifiable by practically everyone. However, the former president did not recognize him, something that caused the star of the "Ocean's Eleven" saga and other massive films, to be "shocked to the core." It was even worse considering it was not the first time they had seen each other.

This instant was reflected in the book "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," written by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. In an excerpt, the authors, with statements from people present at that meeting between Clooney and Biden and who were perplexed by the moment they experienced, detailed what happened.

"The President appeared severely diminished, as if he’d aged a decade since Clooney last saw him, in December, 2022," they narrated. "He was taking tiny steps, and an aide seemed to be guiding him by the arm. [Clooney] felt a knot form in his stomach."

Later, just as Biden was beginning to greet everyone present, the former president turned directly to Clooney and treated him as if he were a stranger to him.

"Biden looked at him and said: 'Thank you for being here,'" the statements continued. Then, a presidential aide commented to Biden who the person in front of him was, and the president again responded in a tone that was disconcerting to say the least: "Yes, yes. Thank you for being here."

Clooney was "shaken to his core"

No sooner had that moment occurred than witnesses recounted how shocked and, at the same time, troubled the actor and producer was by what he had experienced seconds earlier.

"Clooney was shaken to his core. The President hadn’t recognized him, a man he had known for years. Clooney had expressed concern about Biden’s health before—a White House aide had told him a few months before that they were working on getting the President to take longer steps when he walked—but obviously the problem went far beyond his gait. This was much graver," they said.

From campaigning for Biden to calling for him to quit

Clooney is loyal to the Democratic Party and, to change his vote in future elections, the planets would have to align. Therefore, the actor did not hesitate to support Biden, who was then the rival candidate of Donald Trump and the Republican Party, being evident, among other moments or statements, with that act in which the former president did not recognize him.

However, there was a twist in the script. Motivated by signs of mental and physical exhaustion, Clooney spoke out publicly and asked the then presidential candidate to leave the race.

"I love Joe Biden, but we need another candidate. It's terrible to say this, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago was not the same as the Joe Biden of 2010, or even the Joe Biden of 2020. It was the same man we all witnessed at the debate," the actor noted.

The filmmaker's plea, which was joined by other recognizable faces such as Ashley Judd, Abigail Disney and Reed Hasting, seemed to be heard by Biden himself, who ended up calling off his aspirations and withdrew from the presidential race.

After Biden's departure, Clooney did not abandon his partisanship and brought his support to the former president's successor, Kamala Harris, who was the face of the Democratic Party's tragedy in the November election.