In a surprising revelation, Hollywood icon George Clooney has disclosed that he was once on friendly terms with former U.S. President Donald Trump, a stark contrast to their current political opposition. The Oscar-winning actor shared details of their past relationship in a candid year-end interview with Variety, describing the former president as a "big goofball" during their earlier encounters.
From Club Buddies to Political Foes
Clooney, now 64, stated that he knew Trump "very well" before the latter's entry into politics. "He used to call me a lot, and he tried to help me get into a hospital once to see a back surgeon," Clooney recounted. "I'd see him out at clubs and at restaurants. He's a big goofball. Well, he was. That all changed." This personal dynamic shifted dramatically during Trump's first term, with Clooney becoming one of the Republican leader's most vocal critics from the entertainment industry.
Reflecting on that period nearly a decade ago, Clooney previously told Postmedia that he viewed Trump as a "wannabe movie star," noting the irony of the real estate mogul having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame while he did not. The actor also launched a scathing critique of Trump's former strategist, Steve Bannon, calling him a "failed f---ing screenwriter" who would have been "licking my ass" to get a film made had his career taken a different path.
A Public Political Rift and Media Critique
The relationship deteriorated further during the 2024 election cycle. Clooney, a lifelong Democrat, made headlines when he publicly urged then-President Joe Biden to drop out of the race against Trump in a New York Times op-ed and a subsequent 60 Minutes interview. "I believed I had to tell the truth," Clooney said of his decision, expressing disappointment in what he called "profiles in cowardice" within his own party.
Trump responded fiercely on his Truth Social platform, dismissing Clooney as a "second-rate movie 'star' and failed political pundit" who had "turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are." In his Variety interview, Clooney connected this animosity to broader concerns about media accountability. He pointed to lawsuits that CBS and ABC settled with Trump as evidence that news organizations were capitulating to pressure. "If CBS and ABC had challenged those lawsuits and said, 'Go f--- yourself,' we wouldn't be where we are in the country," Clooney argued. "That's simply the truth."
A New Chapter in France
Clooney's latest reflections on Trump and American politics coincide with a significant personal transition. He confirmed that he, his wife Amal, a renowned human rights lawyer, and their twin children, Ella and Alexander, have obtained French citizenship. The family purchased an estate in France in 2021, and Clooney has been vocal about his desire to raise his children away from the Hollywood spotlight.
"I don't want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi," he explained in an October interview with Esquire. "A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm... for them, it's like – they're not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life." This move marks a deliberate step back from the American cultural and political fray he has often engaged with.
Throughout the interview, Clooney also defended himself against accusations of being an out-of-touch liberal, citing his humble beginnings in Kentucky and various blue-collar jobs. "I sold ladies shoes, I sold insurance door-to-door... I grew up in that world," he stated. "Try being a liberal in Kentucky." His comments paint a picture of a complex figure navigating fame, political conviction, and a desire for a quieter family life, all while looking back on an unlikely friendship that became a defining political rivalry.
