It's always strange when the leader of the United States trades barbs with a random celebrity instead of... running the country. The president could... help with things perhaps. I don't know, just a thought. Instead, Donald Trump is now engaged in a war of words with Oceans 11 actor George Clooney.
Videos by Wide Open Country
To briefly recap, George went on 60 minutes to promote Good Night, and Good Luck, his latest endeavor on Broadway. The source material grapples with journalism and McCarthyism and revisiting it on Broadway has Clooney thinking about the state of media today. "We're seeing this idea of using government to scare or fine or use corporations—to make journalists smaller," he emphasizes. "Governments don't like the freedom of the press. They never have. And that goes for whether you are a conservative or a liberal or whatever side you're on. They don't like the press."
Consequently, Trump takes a moment out of his obviously busy schedule to hop on Truth Social and slam the actor. "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 writes. Now, the ball is back in Clooney's court.
George Clooney Shrugs Off Donald Trump's Insults Towards The Actor
Recently, George went on CBS Mornings with Gayle King where he effectively shrugs off the U.S. president entirely. "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," Clooney says. "My job is to try and tell the truth when I can and when I have the opportunity. I am well aware of the idea that people will not like that. ...People will criticize that. Elon Musk has weighed in [about me]. That is their right. It's my right to say the other side."
I can't tell if this is true indifference from Clooney or if he's just tired of the back and forth at this rate. I'm sure it's an exhausting part of promoting his Broadway outing too. But given Trump's penchant for pettiness, I'm not sure this will be over.
