Biden couldn't recognize George Clooney last year, new book reveals
What's the story
A new book, Original Sin, written by Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper, has revealed a disturbing episode of former US President Joe Biden's apparent memory loss.
The authors claim that during a Democratic fundraiser in Los Angeles on June 13, 2024, Biden failed to identify actor and co-host George Clooney.
The episode allegedly left Clooney "shaken to his core."
The excerpt was published by The New Yorker on Tuesday.
Encounter details
'Clooney felt a knot form in his stomach...'
The authors detail a "severely diminished" Biden, then 81, arrived at the event with an aide.
The aide had to remind Biden of Clooney's name, even though the two had known each other personally for nearly two decades.
"Clooney felt a knot form in his stomach as the president approached him," they wrote.
"Biden looked at him. 'Thank you for being here,' he said. 'Thank you for being here.'"
Then the aide said, "You know George."
Quote
Here's how everyone knew Biden hadn't recognized the star
Ex-President quickly said, "Yeah, yeah," but still had no clue about Clooney, because he followed it up with "Thank you for being here." When the aide quipped that it was the "George Clooney" in front of him, Biden responded: "Oh, yeah...Hi, George!" Clooney, who hadn't seen Biden since December 2022, was reportedly shocked at the president's rapid decline.
Public criticism
Clooney's harsh criticism of Biden came a month later
Less than a month after the fundraiser, Clooney publicly took a shot at Biden in a New York Times op-ed.
He said that Biden "cannot win" the election after his debate performance against Donald Trump on June 27, 2024.
"It's devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe 'big F-ing deal' Biden of 2010," Clooney wrote.
"We are not going to win in November with this president."
Reaction
Clooney's op-ed sparked internal backlash
Clooney's op-ed reportedly sparked an internal backlash within Biden's team.
Biden adviser Steve Ricchetti was furious on reading the op-ed and allegedly threatened to "shut Clooney down."
Jeffrey Katzenberg, a movie producer who had asked Clooney to co-host the fundraiser, also objected to Clooney's criticism of Biden.
Despite the backlash, Clooney stood by his words, stating, "Aging was awful. It really wasn't fair. But...it's accurate."
Ultimately, Biden dropped his re-election bid and advanced then-VP Kamala Harris as the Democrats' candidate.