Trump Clooney 'feud' explained as president expresses fury over actor’s citizenship
The high-profile pair haven't exactly been getting along recently - here's everything you need to know about their ongoing spat
George Clooney and Donald Trump publicly beefing is not what we had on our bingo cards for the end of 2025, but here we are.
The 79-year-old US President and 64-year-old Hollywood actor have exchanged some pretty savage statements over the past few days.
Not only did Trump take aim at Clooney's career ands brutally call his movies 'mediocre,' he also dubbed the star and his wife Amal as 'the worst political prognosticators of all time'.
Meanwhile, Clooney has hinted that he won't be throwing his support behind the President or Republicans in the United States midterms in November.
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However, the Three Kings actor also divulged that he and Trump were actually once friends, saying he used to be a 'goofball'.
So how and when did this feud start and what exactly has happened? Here's everything you need to know about the unexpected and very public spat.
When did the ‘feud’ start?
Although an exact date the feud started is unclear, Clooney has for a long time been one of the entertainment industry’s most outspoken liberals.
Their spat has actually been going on for longer than you'd think, as they've been hitting out at each other for years now.
According to the Express, things really kicked off in 2017 when the US President called Clooney a 'Hollywood Elite living in a bubble' during an interview.
The actor hit back by calling the claim 'ridiculous' and dubbed Trump 'a man born with a silver spoon in his mouth'.
One of their most notable back and forth spats was in April 2024, when Clooney wrote a New York Times opinion piece calling for Joe Biden to withdraw as the Democratic presidential nominee, Trump took the opportunity to slam him.
He wrote on social media: "So now fake movie actor George Clooney, who never came close to making a great movie, is getting into the act.
"He's turned on Crooked Joe like the rats they both are."
In a later interview with CBS Mornings, Clooney's response was simply: "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."
Trump has also called Clooney a 'a second-rate movie star and failed political pundit,' while the actor has expressed his dislike for the Republican party on many occasions.
What has Trump said?
In the newest turn of events of the ongoing quarrel, Trump took aim at Clooney on New Year's Eve with a scathing, long message on Truth Social.
He took particular issue with the actor becoming a French citizen, writing: "Good News! George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem because of their absolutely horrendous handling of immigration, much like we had under Sleepy Joe Biden."
He added: "Remember when Clooney, after the now infamous debate, dumped Joe during a fundraiser, only to go onto the side of another stellar candidate, Jamala(K!), who is now fighting it out with the worst governor in the Country, including Tim Waltz, Gavin Newscum, for who is going to lead the Democrats to their future defeat."
And savagely signed off with: "Clooney got more publicity for politics than he did for his very few, and totally mediocre, movies. He wasn’t a movie star at all, he was just an average guy who complained, constantly, about common sense in politics. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
What has Clooney said?
As reported by Deadline, Clooney has hit back with a snarky quip of his own.
The actor has responded to the insults in a short statement which reads: "I totally agree with the current president. We have to make America great again. We’ll start in November."
Clooney is referring to the midterm elections in the US, which happen mid-way through every four-year presidential election cycle and give voters a chance to decide which party controls Congress.
The Hollywood star also recently mentioned Trump in an interview with Variety, revealing that they actually used to be pals, believe it or not.
He told the publication: "I knew him very well. He used to call me a lot, and he tried to help me get into a hospital once to see a back surgeon. I’d see him out at clubs and at restaurants. He’s a big goofball. Well, he was. That all changed."
Why is Clooney becoming a French citizen?
Now, as mentioned earlier, a bit part of this feud re-igniting is all to do with Clooney, his wife Amal and their eight-year-old twins Ella and Alexander officially becoming French citizens.
The couple purchased their home in France in 2021, where they are raising their children.
In an interview with Esquire in October, Clooney described their 'farm in France' as their primary residence, telling the publication: “I was worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood,” he told the magazine.
“I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids.”
"Growing up away from the spotlight in France, "they’re not on their iPads, you know?” he said.
Adding: “They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”
The French government’s interior ministry did not explain why the Clooneys were entitled to French citizenship but said in a statement to The Associated Press that the couple 'followed a rigorous procedure' with security checks and interviews required as part of the naturalisation process.
However, as per CBS News, it's because 'they contribute, through their distinguished actions, to France's international influence and cultural outreach,' the French government said Wednesday (31 December).
It's important to note that he is still a US citizen, the family just have dual US-French citizenship now.
Other celebs who’ve fled the US
Clooney is not the first celebrity to have fled the US in recent years, as Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi chose to leave in 2024 for a new life in the UK.
American comedian Rosie O'Donnell also packed her bags and relocated from New York City to Ireland, just days before Trump was sworn in as President.
Meanwhile, Amber Heard has been living in Spain in recent years, following the 2022 defamation lawsuit between her and ex-husband Johnny Depp.
And Pretty Woman star Richard Gere also moved to Spain as it's the home country of his wife Alejandra Silva.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Entertainment, Celebrity, Social Media, Explained
Madison Burgess