George Clooney isn’t apologizing for his op-ed imploring President Joe Biden to cross the torch throughout the lead-up to the 2024 election.
The Oscar winner stood by his divisive New York Occasions essay whereas speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper about his position as newsman Edward R. Murrow within the Broadway adaptation of his 2005 movie, “Good Night, and Good Luck.”
As Clooney spoke about his admiration for Murrow, an outspoken critic of anti-communist crusader Sen. Joseph McCarthy, Tapper mentioned that many have additionally known as Clooney brave.
“I don’t know if it was brave. It was a civic duty,” mentioned the actor, referring to his July 2024 piece titled “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.”
Describing himself as a Kentucky Democrat, Clooney informed Tapper that when he “saw people on my side of the street not telling the truth, I thought that was time to” confront the problem of Biden’s age.
Requested if his op-ed angered individuals, the actor-director mentioned he couldn’t take offense on the criticism.
“That’s OK, you know,” he informed Tapper. “Listen, the idea of freedom of speech is you can’t demand freedom of speech and then say, ‘But don’t say bad things about me.’”
“That’s the deal, you have to take your stand if you believe in it,” Clooney continued. “Take a stand, stand for it and then deal with the consequences. That’s the rules.”
Reminding Tapper how he already handled blowback for his opposition to the Iraq Battle, he mentioned, “People picketed my movies and they put me on a deck of cards: I have to take that, that’s fair.”
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS through Getty Photographs
“I defend their right to criticize me as much as I defend my right to criticize them,” the “Burn After Reading” star continued.
In his essay, the devoted Democrat and high-profile fundraiser argued that Biden merely couldn’t lead the left to victory after the world witnessed his dismal debate towards now-President Donald Trump.
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“We are not going to win in November with this president,” he said bluntly within the op-ed, including that the destiny of the Home and Senate have been additionally in danger.
Although President Biden would bow out of the race lower than two weeks later and christen Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, the shift in technique didn’t save the day.
