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Joe Biden did not acknowledge George Clooney at fundraiser, new e-book says

Joe Biden did not acknowledge George Clooney at fundraiser, new e-book says

Featured, USA1 month ago7 Views

WASHINGTON ― Former President Joe Biden didn’t acknowledge George Clooney at a Los Angeles fundraiser the actor hosted for the president throughout the 2024 presidential marketing campaign, in response to an upcoming e-book that particulars Biden’s decline earlier than he ended his reelection bid.

The second that shook Clooney “to his core” ‒ reported in “Authentic Sin,” by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson ‒ occurred at a backstage reception as he and actress Julia Roberts, one other co-host of the June 15 fundraiser, have been posing for photos with attendees.

As Biden entered the room, he appeared “severely diminished, as if he’d aged a decade since Clooney final noticed him, in December, 2022,” and the president took tiny steps as an aide guided his arm, an excerpt of the e-book revealed by The New Yorker reads.

“ George,” the assistant guiding Biden informed the president, attempting to remind him who was in entrance of him ‒ one of many world’s most well-known actors and the host of the profitable occasion Biden was attending.

“Yeah, yeah,” Biden mentioned. “Thanks for being right here.”

Because the alternate continued, the e-book says, “It appeared clear that the President had not acknowledged Clooney.”

“George Clooney,” the aide clarified to Biden on the fundraiser.

“Oh, yeah!” Biden mentioned. “Hello, George!”

The Hollywood fundraiser, which raised greater than $30 million, was a pivotal second forward of Biden’s determination one month later to withdraw from the election. Biden’s state on the fundraiser was an indication of issues to come back 12 days later when the president struggled to finish sentences and convey coherent ideas throughout a disastrous June 27 debate efficiency towards Donald Trump

The fundraiser passed off throughout a very busy stretch for Biden. The president flew to the occasion from Italy, the place he was for 2 days for a Group of Seven nations summit. He had simply returned to Europe after being there days earlier honoring of Allied veterans in France on the eightieth anniversary of D-Day. In between the European journeys, Biden had swung again to the USA to be at house in Wilmington, Delaware, for the decision of his son Hunter Biden’s weapons case trial.

The e-book describes an alarmed crowd on the fundraiser ‒ which featured Biden, former President Barack Obama and discuss present host Jimmy Kimmel on stage ‒ over Biden’s obvious diminishment, frail presentation and meandering solutions to largely soft-ball questions from Kimmel.

On the finish of the 30-minute dialogue between the three males, Biden gave a clean stare to the group as he started to stroll off stage. Obama turned again and grabbed Biden’s arm, guiding him backstage.

Amongst those that watched in astonishment on the fundraiser have been New Hampshire Democratic U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster and California U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley.

“They’d seen him within the picture line, and Kuster may inform it was a battle for the President to have interaction. It reminded her of being with an growing old grandparent, worryingly pondering, Oh, my gosh, what’s going to occur subsequent?” the e-book says.

Lower than one month after the fundraiser, Clooney ‒ a onetime ardent Biden supporter ‒ shocked the political world by calling for Biden to drop out of the race in a New York Occasions op-ed, writing: “The one battle he can’t win is the struggle towards time. None of us can.”

Clooney initially chalked up the Biden he witnessed in Los Angeles to jet lag from the president’s back-and-forth journeys throughout the Atlantic Ocean however “then the controversy confirmed all of the fears that he’d shoved apart,” in response to the e-book.

After Biden saved digging in after his debate efficiency ‒ refusing to step apart ‒ Clooney informed Obama he was contemplating writing an op-ed calling for Biden to drop out. Obama informed the actor that will solely push Biden to dig in deeper, the e-book says.

Clooney finally determined to write down the New York Occasions op-ed, sending a duplicate to movie producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, a significant Biden fundraiser, and senior Biden aide Steve Ricchetti, earlier than its publication.

Forward of the Could 20 launch of “Authentic Sin” and different books about his presidency, Biden has sat down for a number of interviews in an obvious try to rehabilitate his public picture.

“They’re mistaken. There’s nothing to maintain that,” Biden informed ABC’s The View when requested concerning the books questioning his cognitive talents. Biden mentioned he believes he would have defeated Trump had he not dropped out of the race, which paved the best way for his vice chairman, Kamala Harris, to be celebration’s new nominee.

A Biden spokesperson informed USA TODAY in a press release: “Now we have not reviewed the e-book, and the authors didn’t fact-check the e-book with us, regardless of it being a standard follow to take action. So we aren’t going to answer each little bit of this e-book they select to launch by way of choose leaks within the reporters’ efforts to make a revenue.

“We proceed to await something that reveals the place Joe Biden needed to make a presidential determination or the place nationwide safety was threatened or the place he was unable to do his job. The truth is, the proof factors to the other – he was a really efficient president,” the spokesperson added.

Attain Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.