George Clooney isn’t mincing words about President Donald Trump.
In a new interview with Broadway legend Patti LuPone for Variety’s “Actors on Actors: Broadway” series, the Oscar-winning actor and longtime Democrat predicted Trump will simply “go away” when he leaves office. Clooney made the comment during a broader conversation about political cycles and the lasting impact of authoritarian figures.
“From President Jackson to [Joseph] McCarthy to this, the authoritarian, the demagogue, it goes away when they go away,” Clooney said, referring to Trump.
“And he will go away,” he added.
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Clooney didn’t shy away from acknowledging Trump’s magnetism, either.
“They [Republican Party] don’t have anybody that’s as charismatic as him. He’s charismatic. There’s no taking that away from him. He’s a television star,” he said.
Clooney also was more optimistic than many of his compatriots, saying this period in history was far less perilous than other stages in American history, like the volatile 1960s.
“We’ve been in much worse places,” he said. “The only thing that’s different is the source of information and how much and how many different sources. It’s the only thing that’s different. But it’s not nearly as violent, even though it feels violent. It’s not nearly as hopeless as it was at that moment in time.”
While Clooney has often been seen as an ally of the Democratic Party, he hasn’t hesitated to critique the party’s leadership. Earlier this month, in a CNN interview with Jake Tapper, Clooney discussed the backlash he received after writing a New York Times guest essay expressing concern over former President Joe Biden’s mental fitness and encouraging him to exit the 2024 race.
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Only weeks after the essay, Biden did drop out, clearing the path for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee. Clooney told Tapper he felt compelled to speak up, saying he couldn’t stand by as party leaders continued to deny the president’s cognitive decline.
As for the future of the Democratic Party, Clooney has floated names like Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer as potential leaders. He told LuPone the party needs “people to represent us better, who have a sense of humor and who have a sense of purpose.”
Clooney has also voiced frustration with the decision to nominate Harris without a primary. Still, he remains optimistic, arguing that with stronger candidates, Democrats have a real shot at winning back the House from Republicans.
“I think we’ll get the House back in a year and a half, and I think that’ll be a check and balance on power,” Clooney told LuPone.
Last month, Trump took to Truth Social to criticize the actor after he did an interview with “60 Minutes,” calling him a “second rate movie star” and “failed political pundit.”
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