Hollywood mega-producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, who served as the co-chair of President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, isn’t crying a river over the Democrats losing the 2024 election. In fact, Katzenberg on Tuesday said he was “rooting for” President-elect Donald Trump and the team he’s putting together for his second four-year term.
Katzenberg made the comment while speaking at Fortune’s Brainstorm AI conference in San Francisco.
“They won, we lost. Their bat, their ball. And I’m rooting for them to play great, seriously,” Katzenberg said.
He continued: “I’ve been on the winning team, and I’ve been on the losing team — it’s nicer to be on the winning team — but it is their turn at bat. And honestly, for the future of this country and for the things that mean so much to many of us, I am rooting for their success in every single respect. I hope the changes that they bring make us a better, stronger, more successful country.”
The Dreamworks co-founder’s magnanimous comments stand out, considering he ripped Trump as a “colossal asshole” earlier this year. His comments also stand out when considering how closely tied he is to the Democratic party.
Katzenberg, as mentioned above, was the co-chair of Biden’s reelection campaign — a role that led to criticism from many in Hollywood, after the producer helped raise tens of millions of dollars just weeks before Biden’s impactful debate performance against Trump in June.
“Jeffrey lied about the whole Biden thing. The whole Biden inner circle lied … It’s such an act of hypocrisy,” one Hollywood power broker told TheWrap shortly after.
Another Hollywood Democratic insider told TheWrap other left-leaning members of the entertainment world were “furious” and “pissed” with Katzenberg following the debate. Biden, of course, dropped out of the presidential race in July and was replaced on the ticket by Vice President Kamala Harris.
Katzenberg’s run as the Biden campaign co-chair wasn’t the first time he’s thrown his weight behind a Democratic candidate. He backed former President Barack Obama during his first run to the White House, starting in 2007, and supported Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign.
On Tuesday, Katzenberg laughed when asked about the main topic of the conference — artificial intelligence — and whether his time as Biden co-chair helped him better understand how Silicon Valley is approaching AI.
“Not that much,” Katzenberg said.
You can see his full response via Fortune’s X account below:
