Former US President Joe Biden failed to recognize actor George Clooney at a star-studded fundraiser in June 2024, according to a forthcoming book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson. The incident, detailed in an excerpt published by The New Yorker, is one of several examples cited in Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, set to release May 20.
Backstage at the record-breaking fundraiser—which Clooney co-hosted—Biden appeared disoriented after returning from a grueling three-day G7 summit in Italy. When Clooney approached to greet him, Biden didn’t recognize the Oscar-winning actor.
“You know George,” an aide gently prompted the president. “Yeah, yeah,” Biden replied vaguely, thanking Clooney without acknowledging who he was. “It seemed clear that the President had not recognized Clooney,” the authors write.
Clooney, who had known Biden for years, was reportedly “shaken to his core” by the moment. A Hollywood insider present at the event described the delayed recognition as “uncomfortable” and “not okay.”
The fundraiser, held on June 15, occurred just days before Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump—an event that ultimately led him to drop out of the 2024 race. The Clooney incident, Tapper and Thompson argue, was one of the starkest indicators of the president’s cognitive decline
“It wasn’t a straight line of decline”
The book, based on over 200 interviews—primarily with Democratic insiders—paints a picture of a White House unwilling to confront Biden’s diminishing faculties. “It wasn’t a straight line of decline,” they write. “He had good days and bad. But until the last day of his presidency, Biden and those in his innermost circle refused to admit the reality.” The authors claim aides used various strategies to shield the public and even senior party members from the extent of Biden’s decline. The Clooney moment, however, was too glaring to ignore.
In the weeks following the fundraiser, Clooney expressed concern privately and publicly. After Biden released a letter on July 8 reaffirming his intent to stay in the race, Clooney considered writing an op-ed urging him to step aside. He sought advice from former President Barack Obama, who reportedly warned that such a move might only harden Biden’s resolve.
Clooney proceeded anyway, sharing a draft with Jeffrey Katzenberg, a major Democratic donor and fundraiser co-organizer. Katzenberg showed the piece to Biden adviser Steve Ricchetti, who was reportedly furious. “Internally, he threatened to shut Clooney down — some of his colleagues thought he sounded like a Mob boss,” Tapper and Thompson write. Though Katzenberg urged Clooney to soften the op-ed—especially a line comparing Biden’s fogginess at the fundraiser to his debate performance—Clooney stood firm. “You’re right, it’s not fair,” Clooney admitted. “But… what I had written was accurate.”
Jill Biden, Schumer push back
Meanwhile, in a recent joint appearance on The View, Jill Biden defended her husband’s capacity and work ethic, pushing back on claims of decline. “The people who wrote those books were not in the White House with us,” she said. “Joe worked nonstop—days, nights, weekends.” Still, unease within the Democratic Party was growing in the run-up to the debate. That same night as the Clooney fundraiser, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was reportedly overheard at a wedding discussing a “Plan B” with Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Hakeem Jeffries—though Schumer has since denied the remark. In hindsight, some Democrats are placing blame squarely on Biden for the party’s disarray during the 2024 race. “We got so screwed by Biden as a party,” said David Plouffe, former top Obama aide and Kamala Harris campaign strategist. “And it’s all Biden. He totally f**ked us.”