Actor and Oscar winner George Clooney responded with an ironic statement to comments from former President Donald Trump, who days earlier had celebrated the French naturalization of Clooney and his wife, lawyer Amal Clooney, calling the actor the author of "mediocre" films.

The controversy originated after It was revealed in December that the Clooney family had obtained French citizenship. Trump reacted on his Truth Social platform, calling George and Amal “two of the worst political forecasters of all time” and took the opportunity to criticize France's immigration policy, comparing it to that of President Joe Biden's administration. In comments obtained by Entertainment Weekly, Clooney responded with subtle sarcasm: "I totally agree with the current president. We have to make America great again," referencing Trump's famous slogan.

He added, alluding to the upcoming midterm elections: “We'll start in November.”

In his December post, Trump not only criticized Clooney's decision to obtain French citizenship, but also dismissed his film career: “Clooney received more publicity for his politics than for his few and mediocre movies,” the former president wrote, adding: “He was not a movie star at all, he was just a regular guy who constantly complained.”

Background to Public Tension

The bad blood between Clooney and Trump began in mid-2014, when the actor—known for his political activism—wrote an op-ed in The New York Times questioning Joe Biden's ability to continue as a presidential candidate after his performance in a debate against Trump.

Clooney's public stance regarding Biden in 2014 created divisions even within the progressive community. Whoopi Goldberg commented on The View: "George Clooney? Couldn't he just say that to her face, for God's sake?" while her co-host Joy Behar expressed being “angry at George Clooney” for making his criticism public. However, conservative commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin—who worked in the Trump White House—defended Clooney's position at the time: “Joe Biden's feelings don't matter more than our country. This isn't the media,this isn't a narrative; “These are lifelong Democrats who want to defeat Donald Trump.” The exchange takes place in a political context where Trump maintains significant influence in the Republican Party, while Democrats prepare for the midterm elections. Clooney's reference to “we'll start in November” suggests that the actor will continue to actively participate in the national political debate, despite his recently acquired French citizenship.