In a discussion with Patti LuPone for Variety, Clooney described himself as an “optimist” when it comes to politics and confidently predicted Trump “will go away” and Democrats will win back the House. “From President [Andrew] Jackson, to [Joseph] McCarthy, to this, the authoritarian, the demagogue, it goes away when they go away,” the actor and Democratic donor said. “And he will go away.” Clooney was largely seen as a consequential figure in the 2024 presidential election as then-President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid just days after Clooney published an op-ed questioning Biden’s stamina and whether he was still up to the job at his age. The filmmaker has since said it was his “civic duty” to publicly question the Democratic Party’s ticket at the time.
George Clooney is predicting Democrats will regain control of the House in next year’s midterm elections, saying a win will serve as a “check and balance on power.” “I think we’ll get the House back in a year and a half,” Clooney, the star of Broadway’s “Good Night, and Good Luck” and one of Hollywood’s most prominent Democratic supporters and fundraisers, said in an interview with Variety published Tuesday. The GOP currently has a razor-thin majority in the House, with 220 Republicans, 213 Democrats and two vacancies in districts previously held by Democrats. “If you’re a Democrat, we have to find some people to represent us better, who have a sense of humor and who have a sense of purpose,” the 63-year-old Academy Award winner said.
As to the Democrats future, Clooney said that they need to find some charisma. “They don’t have anybody that’s as charismatic as him. He’s charismatic. There’s no taking that away from him. He’s a television star,” he said. “If you’re a Democrat, we have to find some people to represent us better, who have a sense of humor and who have a sense of purpose,” Clooney added. The actor engendered severe backlash after Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the election, with Democrats squarely placing the blame on him for encouraging former President Joe Biden to drop from the race.
