Actor and Democrat activist George Clooney recently shared his thoughts on President Donald Trump’s influence and the future of American politics in a Variety interview, Fox News reports. While Clooney’s celebrity status has garnered media attention, his latest remarks reveal more about Hollywood’s echo chamber than any serious political insight. Clooney’s political commentary reveals the limits of celebrity activism and the dangers of confusing star power with genuine expertise. While his comments are sure to generate headlines, they offer little in the way of serious political analysis.
Clooney confidently predicted that Trump will just “go away” after leaving office, suggesting that the President’s influence will evaporate overnight. “From President Jackson to [Joseph] McCarthy to this, the authoritarian, the demagogue, it goes away when they go away,” Clooney said, referring to Trump. “And he will go away.”
“Last month, Trump took to Truth Social to criticize the actor after he did an interview with ‘60 Minutes,’ calling him a ‘second rate movie star’ and ‘failed political pundit,’” according to Fox News.
While Clooney acknowledges Trump’s charisma, he dismisses the idea that any Republican could replicate it. Clooney tried casting Trump as a leader with not much more than celebrity, ignoring Trump’s policies that have appealed to the majority of Americans. Clooney’s focus on “television star” charisma is a perspective that may resonate in Hollywood circles but fails to grapple with the reality Americans have been facing that led them to call Trump’s leadership back.
“They [Republican Party] don’t have anybody that’s as charismatic as him. He’s charismatic. There’s no taking that away from him. He’s a television star,” Clooney said.
“We’ve been in much worse places,” he said. “The only thing that’s different is the source of information and how much and how many different sources. It’s the only thing that’s different. But it’s not nearly as violent, even though it feels violent. It’s not nearly as hopeless as it was at that moment in time.”
Some may argue that Clooney’s comments lack relevance since it is often perceived to be easy for a wealthy celebrity to minimize current problems from a position of comfort and security, failing to recognize the needs of everyday Americans and the leadership they choose.
Clooney has not hesitated to criticize Democratic leadership, either, most recently urging President Biden to step aside due to concerns about his mental fitness. Yet, his proposed solutions, including floating names of other Democratic governors, and lamenting the lack of a primary, sound more like the musings of a donor than a strategist with a grasp of party dynamics.
