George Clooney has delivered a straightforward response to Donald Trump after the former president criticized him.
The 63-year-old seasoned actor from Hollywood has never been one to wear a MAGA hat or publicly support Republican agendas. This stance was evident even before his recent confrontation with Trump.
Back in July last year, Clooney contributed an opinion piece to The New York Times in which he declared himself a ‘lifelong Democrat’. In this piece, he suggested that President Joe Biden should step aside to increase the party’s chances of defeating Trump in the elections.
However, Biden went on to be inaugurated for a second term in January, and Clooney has continued to voice his opinions on the matter.
In a recent interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, Clooney discussed the challenging future the media faces under Trump’s leadership.
“We’re seeing this idea of using government to scare or fine or use corporations to make journalists smaller,” the ER actor remarked. “Governments don’t like the freedom of the press they never have and that goes for whether you are a conservative or a liberal or whatever side you’re on they don’t like the press.”
In response to these remarks, Trump took to Truth Social to criticize Clooney, labeling him a ‘second rate movie star’ and a ‘failed political pundit’.
Clooney recently addressed the criticism while talking to Gayle King on CBS Mornings.
Dismissing the negative comments, he stated: “I don’t care. I’ve known Donald Trump for a long time. My job is not to please the President of the United States.”
“My job is to try and tell the truth when I can and when I have the opportunity,” he explained to the news outlet. “I am well aware of the idea that people will not like that… people will criticize that. Elon Musk has weighed in [about me]. That is their right. It’s my right to say the other side.”
The former president, who intends to sue the CBS newsmagazine over its interview with Kamala Harris, expressed in his rant: “Why would the now highly discredited 60 Minutes be doing a total ‘puff piece’ on George Clooney, a second rate movie ‘star,’ and failed political pundit.”
“He fought hard for Sleepy Joe’s election and then, right after the Debate, dumped him like a dog.”
“Later, I assume under orders from the Obama camp, pushed all out for ‘Kamala,’ only to soon realize that that was not going to work out too well.”
This isn’t the first instance where Trump has taken issue with Clooney’s comments. He previously referred to him as a ‘fake movie actor’ following the publication of Clooney’s op-ed in the New York Times.
“George Clooney, who never came close to making a great movie, is getting into the act,” Trump wrote. “He’s turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are. What does Clooney know about anything? He uses the Democrat ‘talking point’ that Biden, the WORST President in the history of the United States, has ‘saved our Democracy.’ No, Crooked Joe was the one who WEAPONIZED Law Enforcement against his political Opponent, who created the most devastating INFLATION in the history of our Country, who Embarrassed our Nation in Afghanistan, and whose crazy Open Border Policy has allowed millions of people to illegally pour into our Country, many from prisons and mental institutions.”
“Crooked Joe Biden didn’t save our Democracy, he brought our Democracy to its knees,” Trump continued. “Clooney should get out of politics and go back to television. Movies never really worked for him!”