George Clooney slams Trump administration for calling his acting a 'war crime'

Hollywood A-lister George Clooney has hit back at Donald Trump's administration after the called his acting a 'war crime'.

Clooney, who has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards over his career, has starred in the likes of Ocean's Eleven.

The actor was one of many people to call out Trump, following his shocking post on Truth Social where he warned Iran that 'a whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again' if a ceasefire deal wasn't arranged by his deadline.

In response to the president's post, Clooney told high school students in Italy that "Some say Donald Trump is fine, but if anyone says he wants to end a civilisation, that’s a war crime".

Following his remarks, White House communications director Steven Cheung responded to Clooney, telling The Independent: “The only person committing war crimes is George Clooney for his awful movies and terrible acting ability.”

The Trump administration has hit out at George Clooney following comments he made (Tom Williams / Contributor / via Getty)

Now Clooney has hit back, telling Deadline: “Families are losing their loved ones. Children have been incinerated. The world’s economy is on a knife-edge. This is a time for vigorous debate at the highest levels. Not for infantile name-calling."

He continued: “I’ll start. A war crime is alleged ‘when there’s intent to physically destroy a nation’, as defined by the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute," he added, before continuing to poke fun at himself for some of his previous acting roles: "What is the administration’s defence? (Besides calling me a failed actor, which I happily agree with, having starred in Batman and Robin?).”

Speaking at the event in Cuneo, Italy, Clooney had also told students: “You can still support the conservative point of view, but there must be a line of decency, and we must not cross it.”

He also confessed he was 'worried about NATO', following Trump's comments that he was re-examining the alliance after they failed to give him Greenland.

George Clooney used to be friends with Trump, but now is a vocal critic of his politics (Photo by Rich Polk/2026GG/Penske Media via Getty Images)

Clooney said NATO 'has ensured that Europe, but also the rest of the world, has been safe.'

He continued: “Dismantling an institution like this worries me. Aside from many mistakes, I believe the US [with NATO] has also done many extraordinary things that have stood the test of time.”

This isn't the first time Clooney has clashed with Trump, with the POTUS previously calling the star one of the 'worst political prognosticators of all time' and a 'mediocre' actor.

He wrote on Truth Social: "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!"

Clooney previously talked about his former friendship with Trump, telling Variety: “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.”