As the world reacts to the news that Donald Trump will become the 47th president of the United States, people online have a lot to say.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump won the election with 295 electoral votes compared to Democrat Kamala Harris’s 226, when 270 electoral votes are needed to win the election.
As expected, social media has been ablaze with reactions – including those from stars across music, film and TV. Others have taken to platforms like X to voice their opinions on how Mr Trump managed to claim victory.
One person that users seem to be pointing the finger at is George Clooney.
“Trump should not forget to thank the Hollywood celebrities. Especially George Clooney,” one user wrote. “Someone bring me George Clooney,” another said. “We need to have a... talk.”
george clooney this is all your fault https://t.co/NglbK8VBNj pic.twitter.com/PRtO89I3RI
— Dianna. (@Diaanna_) November 7, 2024
This is all George Clooney’s fault.
— Joe -- ai/acc (@JoeLatone) November 6, 2024
But what does the Academy Award winner have to do with the election?
What did George Clooney say?
Clooney has long been in the corner of the Democratic Party, voicing his support for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden’s presidential campaigns. The 63-year-old actor and filmmaker has also been an outspoken critic of President-elect Donald Trump in the past, with Mr Trump telling Clooney to “get out of politics and go back into television” this summer.
Weeks after hosting a fundraising party for President Biden’s campaign, in July, Clooney penned an op-ed for The New York Times titled I love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.
“It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe “big F-ing deal” Biden of 2010,” the actor wrote. “He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.” In the June debate Clooney refers to, 81-year-old Biden stumbled over his words and appeared vacant – raising concerns about his age and suitability for the presidency.
“We are not going to win in November with this president,” he continued. “This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and Congress member and governor who I’ve spoken with in private.”
Eleven days later, President Biden announced he was dropping out of the race, to be replaced with Vice President Harris, who had just 107 days to run a campaign.
Why are people pointing the finger at George Clooney?
Since Mr Trump’s win, Clooney has been criticised for writing the op-ed, with X users calling him out. Some believe that Mr Biden would have appealed to the white working-class voter, while others believe that the time Ms Harris had to argue her case for the presidency wasn’t long enough.
However, Clooney wasn’t the only figure to call for President Biden to step down. Author Stephen King and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi also publicly called for Biden to quit the race, and Barbra Streisand commended his decision to drop out.
It’s unlikely that Clooney’s op-ed was the reason why more than 72 million Americans ultimately voted for Mr Trump, but those online continue to look for ways to explain the 78-year-old Republican’s win.
