A new book alleges that former President Joe Biden did not recognize Hollywood actor George Clooney during a Democratic fundraiser in June 2024. This incident reportedly left Clooney uneasy despite their long-standing acquaintance.
The book, titled “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” is authored by Jake Tapper of CNN and Alex Thompson of Axios. It is based on interviews with more than 200 Democratic insiders and explores Biden’s alleged cognitive and physical decline during his last year in office.
An excerpt published in The New Yorker describes Biden’s arrival at the fundraiser co-hosted by Clooney and Julia Roberts on June 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Upon meeting Clooney, Biden reportedly said, “Yeah, yeah. Thank you for being here,” without recognizing him as one of the event’s hosts and someone he had known for years.
An aide reportedly had to prompt Biden, saying, “You know George.” After this clarification, Biden acknowledged him with, “Oh, yeah! Hi, George!”
The authors note that Clooney was “shaken to his core” by the interaction. A Hollywood VIP who saw the exchange said, “That thing, the moment where you recognize someone you know — especially a famous person who’s doing a fundraiser for you — it was delayed. It was uncomfortable.”
The book also suggests that Biden appeared “severely diminished” at the event, looking “as if he’d aged a decade” since Clooney last saw him in December 2022. Observers at the event described Biden as “slow and almost catatonic” and noted “obvious brain freezes and clear signs of a mental slide.”
Former President Barack Obama was also in attendance and reportedly intervened several times. According to the book, when Biden began addressing a small group of donors, he “trailed off incoherently,” prompting Obama to “jump in and preside.” The authors also mention that Obama “hopped in and finished sentences for him” during photo sessions.
Less than a month after this alleged event, on July 10, 2024, Clooney published an op-ed in The New York Times titled “I Love Joe Biden, But We Need a New Nominee.”
Clooney expressed his respect for Biden, acknowledging his roles as senator, vice president, and president and describing him as a friend he believes in. However, Clooney admitted that “the one battle [Biden] cannot win is the fight against time.”
In his op-ed, Clooney reflected on the fundraiser, noting that the Joe Biden he met there was not the same Biden from 2010, or even 2020.
The book also reveals that before releasing his op-ed, Clooney consulted Obama, who advised against it, suggesting it would only make Biden “dig in his heels deeper.” Clooney also shared the op-ed with Jeffrey Katzenberg, a media mogul and Democratic megadonor who was co-chairing Biden’s campaign. Katzenberg reportedly disagreed with Clooney and doubted the op-ed would achieve its intended impact.
Despite this, Clooney went ahead and published the piece, and 11 days later, Biden withdrew from the presidential race. In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Clooney described writing the op-ed as his “civic duty,” stating he felt obligated to speak out when he saw “people on my side of the street not telling the truth.”
Following Biden’s withdrawal, Clooney commended the former president for doing “the most selfless thing that anybody has done since George Washington.”
The Biden team has contested the book’s claims. In a statement to PEOPLE, a Biden spokesperson said, “We have not reviewed the book, and the authors did not fact-check the book with us, despite it being a common practice to do so.”
The spokesperson stated they are still waiting for proof of any situation where Biden was unable to make presidential decisions, faced national security risks, or failed to perform his duties. On the contrary, the spokesperson emphasized evidence of him being an effective president.
Both Joe and Jill Biden appeared on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday, May 8, and denied claims about his cognitive decline. “The people who wrote those books were not in the White House with us, and they didn’t see how hard Joe worked every single day,” the former first lady said.
During the interview, they addressed topics including the 2024 election outcome, allegations of cognitive decline, and their post-presidency plans. Joe Biden took responsibility for Donald Trump’s return to the White House and refuted claims about his mental acuity. Jill Biden defended her husband against accusations of cognitive decline and denied creating a “cocoon” around him during his presidency.
Clooney’s spokesperson declined to comment on the excerpt.
The book “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” is scheduled for release on May 20, 2025.
