Trump slams ‘failed’ George Clooney in wild social media rant
President Trump had a few scathing words for George Clooney. The A-list actor indirectly criticized Trump in a 60 Minutes interview, which earned the ire of the president.
Trump unleashed his fury against Clooney through a social media post. The president also railed against 60 Minutes for interviewing George Clooney. On Truth Social, he angrily wrote, “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 to well.”
Clooney was interviewed by 60 Minutes for his upcoming Broadway play, Goodnight, and Good Luck. The play was written by Clooney and Grant Heslov. Its 2005 movie won multiple awards. Needless to say, Clooney is not the “second-rate movie star” that Trump frames him to be. Anecdotes from Gen X parents aside, George Clooney is easily one of the most recognizable names in 90s Hollywood. Despite the president’s resentful social media post, Clooney was merely stressing the importance of press freedom.
“I just thought it was a good time to talk about when the press held government to account,” Clooney said. Goodnight, and Good Luck is a historical drama set in 1958, at the height of the Red Scare. At the time, journalists often faced backlash from the United States government for platforming dissenters. Senator Joseph McCarthy, featured in the play, was determined to snuff out alleged communists in the country.
Why is Trump so worked up?
Jonathan Wertheim from 60 Minutes asked, “Are you guys using McCarthyism as a parable for today?” Grant Heslov, one of the playwriters, said that it wasn’t initially meant to reflect the times. “But this is a story that stands the test of time,” said Heslov. He also thinks that the story’s theme will never age.
Clooney, on the other hand, pointed out the parallels of the play to today’s situation under the Trump administration. “When the judiciary, executive, and legislative branches fail, the fourth estate has to succeed,” Clooney said. He then pointed at the camera—a gesture that referred to the reporters.
He added that news outlets like ABC News and CBS News have been slapped with lawsuits by the Trump administration. “We’re seeing this idea of using government to scare, or fine, or use corporations to make journalists smaller. Governments don’t like the freedom of the press—they never have,” Clooney argued. His comment didn’t single Trump out. He believes that both Republicans and Democrats are not fond of the press.
“Journalism, and telling truth to power, has to be waged like war is waged. It doesn’t just happen accidentally. It takes people saying, ‘We’re going to do these stories. And you’re going to have to come after us,” Clooney concluded. Perhaps it’s not Clooney, but the message of the play that makes Trump shiver. After all, the shoe seems to fit very well, even if it’s not a direct critique. At a time when the media is labeled “the enemy within” and voices of dissent are silenced by his administration, it’s no wonder that the president is annoyed.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
