Barack Obama was Given Heads-Up about George Clooney's Biden Op-Ed |

Barack Obama was notified beforehand George Clooney's shocking op-ed was going to be published in the New York Times, encouraging Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, according to a new report.

Sources told Politico ... Clooney phoned the ex-prez to let him know the piece was going to appear in the NYT -- and Obama didn't try to stop it.

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In fact, Obama reportedly didn't take a position at all, meaning he wasn't for or against it.

As you know, Clooney's op-ed ran Wednesday in the NYT, calling on Biden – the presumptive Democratic nominee -- to bow out of the race for the White House after his train wreck debate performance against Trump.

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Clooney emphasized that Biden could not win the election due to his old age and questions about his current cognitive state.

But, Biden says he's staying in the race and has shown no signs of quitting ... at least for now. The Commander in Chief was seen with Clooney, Obama and Julia Roberts at a mid-June L.A. fundraiser, where they raised $30 million for Joe's campaign.

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In his op-ed, Clooney noted that at the fundraiser Biden didn't seem to be the same person he's known over many years, clearly making the point that ol' Joe may not be up for 4 more years as the country's leader.