VENICE - For the first time since writing a July 10 op-ed in the New York Times titled, “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee,” George Clooney has spoken out about the impact the article may have had.

“I’ve never had to answer this question, so I might as well here,” said Clooney, when a reporter asked him about the op-ed during a news conference for “Wolfs,” his new buddy comedy with Brad Pitt, which premieres at the Venice Film Festival Sunday night.

Clooney’s public stance, as one of President Joe Biden’s biggest supporters and fundraisers in Hollywood, was seen as a major influence on the president leaving the race in July and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.

“The person who should be applauded is the president who did the most selfless thing that anyone’s done since George Washington,” Clooney began.

The machinations leading Biden to drop out were not important and would not be remembered, Clooney said: “What should be remembered is the selfless act of someone who - you know, it’s very hard to let go of power. We know that. We’ve seen it all around the world. And for someone to say, ‘I think there’s a better way forward.’ All the credit goes to him … And all the rest of it will be long gone and forgotten.”

The actor, who has endorsed Harris, did not mention her in a news conference meant to be focused on the film. “I’m just very proud of where we are in the state of the world, which many people are surprised by, and I think we’re all very excited for the future,” he said.

Clooney was widely seen as the most prominent Biden supporter to publicly ask the presient to step out of the race. In the op-ed, he wrote that he’d become concerned seeing a weakened, shaky Biden at a June 15 fundraiser that Clooney had hosted that raised a record $30 million.

Then, on June 27, Biden had his disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump. Clooney’s op-ed came amid an avalanche of diminishing celebrity support for the president, with the likes of Stephen Colbert, Michael Moore and Stephen King calling for him to leave the race. Eleven days after Clooney’s op-ed, Biden dropped out.