Ocean’s Eleven is likely not a film on President Donald Trump’s viewing list.
On March 23, through a post on Truth Social, Trump, 78, expressed his disapproval of George Clooney’s recent interview on “60 Minutes.” During the segment, Clooney discussed his Broadway debut and press freedom. Trump criticized the interview as a “total ‘puff piece'” and labeled Clooney, 63, a “second-rate movie ‘star'” and “failed political pundit.” Trump accused Clooney of initially endorsing Joe Biden’s presidential bid and later withdrawing support.
Trump also criticized CBS’s news program, accusing the network of “fraudulently inserting fake answers into her disastrous interview, aired just before Election Day, in one of the most embarrassing and dishonest events in broadcast history.” This accusation is linked to Trump’s ongoing $20 billion defamation lawsuit against CBS News and its parent company, Paramount Global.
Clooney’s appearance on “60 Minutes” was timed with his Broadway debut in “Good Night, and Good Luck,” a play about journalist Edward R. Murrow’s efforts to reveal the truth during Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist inquiries in the 1950s. Clooney, who co-wrote and directed the 2005 film of the same name, sees parallels between that era and the current media environment.
During the interview, Clooney specifically mentioned Trump’s legal battles with media organizations as examples of government attempts to intimidate the press. “When the other three estates fail, when the judiciary and the executive and the legislative branches fail us, the fourth estate has to succeed,”
Clooney stated that ABC had recently resolved a lawsuit with the Trump administration, while CBS News was in the midst of a similar process. He highlighted the growing trend of using government influence to intimidate, penalize, or pressure corporations as a means to weaken journalists.
The Oscar winner added, “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.”
Clooney, a lifelong Democrat, also addressed his controversial New York Times op-ed from July 2024, where he urged former President Joe Biden to step down from the 2024 presidential race. The actor explained his decision to publish the piece, which is seen by many political analysts as a contributing factor to Biden’s eventual withdrawal from the race.
“I’ll make it kind of easy. I was raised to tell the truth,” Clooney explained on “60 Minutes.”
In his July op-ed, Clooney repeatedly mentioned Biden’s age as a cause for concern and wrote that the “fight against time” was “one battle” Biden couldn’t win. “None of us can,” he continued. “It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
At the time of the op-ed’s publication, Trump responded on social media, dismissing Clooney as a “fake movie actor” who “never came close to making a great movie.” “What does Clooney know about anything?” the president asked. “Clooney should get out of politics and go back to television. Movies never really worked for him!!!”
After Biden announced he would not seek a second term, Clooney praised the decision as “the most selfless thing that anybody has done since George Washington,” highlighting what he saw as an act of true leadership.
In a recent appearance on Stephen Colbert’s show, Clooney took a more conciliatory tone toward the current administration, saying he hoped Trump would do well “because our country needs it,” and adding that “we will meet you in 3.5 years and see where we go next.”
The dispute between Trump and Clooney unfolds amid ongoing settlement discussions between Trump’s team and Paramount Global over the president’s defamation lawsuit against the network. The lawsuit has reportedly raised concerns among staff at “60 Minutes” and CBS News, with many legal experts characterizing it as having little merit. The program has continued to air segments critical of Trump’s presidency, including recent coverage of the impacts of his executive order banning diversity, equity, and inclusion policies across the federal government.