Actor George Clooney praised President Biden for withdrawing from the presidential race, saying that Biden’s decision was “the most selfless thing” since George Washington. 

Clooney, who was at the premiere of his new movie “Wolfs” at the Venice Film Festival, spoke Sunday about Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race. In a July op-ed for The New York Times, he urged the 81-year-old commander in chief to end his reelection bid over age-related concerns.

When asked about the impact of his op-ed piece, he noted he had not had to answer that question yet, according to The Associated Press.

“The person who should be applauded is the president, who did the most selfless thing that anybody’s done since George Washington,” Clooney told reporters on Sunday evening. “All the machinations that got us there, none of that’s going to be remembered. And it shouldn’t be. What should be remembered is the selfless act.”

“It’s very hard to let go of power. We know that. We’ve seen that all around the world. For someone to say, I think there’s a better way forward? All credit goes to him,” he continued.

His op-ed calling on Biden to step aside in July rocked Hollywood as Clooney joined a number of Democrats who also called on the sitting president to withdraw from the race. Clooney had also hosted a star-studded fundraiser for Biden just weeks before the Times piece was published.

Clooney said in a statement after Biden dropped out in July that the president “has shown what true leadership is” and is “saving democracy once again.” He also backed Vice President Harris’s bid for the White House in that statement.

“We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest,” he added at the time.

The Associated Press contributed.