George Clooney believes Democrats made a "mistake" by putting Kamala Harris against Donald Trump in the US election

Clooney told CBS Sunday Morning: "I wanted there to be, as I wrote in the op-ed, a primary (election to select a new Democratic candidate). Let's battle-test this quickly and get it up and going.

"I think the mistake with it being Kamala is she had to run against her own record. It's very hard to do if the point of running is to say, 'I'm not that person.' It's hard to do, and so she was given a very tough task. I think it was a mistake, quite honestly."

Biden dropped out of the race amid mounting pressure in July 2024 - with Harris going on to lose the election to Trump - and the former president's son Hunter Biden launched an expletive-laden rant at the Jay Kelly actor earlier this year.

Hunter said: "What right do you have to step on a man who's given 52 years of his f****** life to the service of this country and decided that you, George Clooney, are going to take out basically a full page ad in the f****** New York Times to undermine the president."

However, the Hollywood star has no intention of getting drawn into a row with Hunter.

Clooney said: "I could spent a lot of time debunking many of the things he said... but the reality is, I don't think looking backwards like that is helpful to anyone. Particularly to him. I don't think it is helpful to the Democratic Party. So I'm just going to wish him well on his ongoing recovery and I hope he does well and just leave it at that.

"I have many personal opinions about it but I don't find it to be helpful to have a public spat with him."

The prominent Democrat supporter had claimed that the party were going to lose if Biden stood following his shambolic performance in a debate against Trump.

He wrote at the time: "We are not going to win in November with this president.

"On top of that, we won't win the House, and we're going to lose the Senate. This isn't only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and congress member and governor that I've spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly."