George Clooney Calls Kamala Harris Nomination a Mistake — Here’s Why
In a candid new interview, George Clooney says Kamala Harris replacing Joe Biden was a mistake and reveals how Hunter Biden reacted to his New York Times op-ed, reigniting debate from Hollywood to Washington.
George Clooney popped up on CBS Sunday Morning and waded back into the politics pool, revisiting his New York Times op-ed from last year, weighing in on Kamala Harris taking over the top of the ticket, and addressing Hunter Biden’s public response. It was frank, a little pointed, and very Clooney.
The op-ed, revisited
Asked point-blank if, looking back, he would write that 2024 Times op-ed again, Clooney didn’t hesitate: yes. He says he felt there was an opening at the time and that he wanted a real primary process, not a messy scramble later. In other words, let voters decide early instead of improvising late.
On Kamala Harris and the 2024 result
Clooney acknowledged the outcome with a resigned shrug — we are where we are — but he was clear about what he thinks went wrong. In his view, making Harris the nominee set her up to run against her own record. The way he frames it, she also needed to distance herself from the previous administration while having been a central part of it, which is a tough needle to thread for any candidate.
'I think it was a mistake, quite honestly.'
That’s the pull quote. The longer version: he believes Harris was handed a nearly impossible task — pitching herself as not-that-person while defending years of governing choices with her name on them.
Hunter Biden’s reaction, and Clooney’s response
Yes, he saw Hunter Biden’s response to the op-ed. Clooney smiled and said as much. But he’s not looking to keep that fight going in public. He said a lot of what Hunter claimed was simply untrue — including the idea that Barack Obama pushed Clooney to write the piece or that the fundraiser at the center of all this wasn’t Clooney’s. He says it was his event, and the op-ed was his decision, period.
Even so, he’s not interested in playing point-by-point rebuttal. Clooney called looking backward unhelpful — not for Democrats, and not for Hunter — and wished Hunter well with his ongoing recovery. He made it clear he has plenty of opinions, but he’d rather not turn them into a public spat.
Why this matters (beyond the celebrity of it)
When the Ocean’s Eleven star says he’d still plant that same flag — push for a primary, question the handoff, call the eventual choice a mistake — it adds another voice to how that chaotic stretch will be remembered. And it’s interesting to see him draw a line with Hunter Biden: firm about what he says is false, careful not to escalate it any further.