George Clooney calls Trump remarks a "war crime"; White House mocks, "Your acting is the real crime"

[Financial News] Hollywood actor George Clooney, 64, known for never holding back his political views, has clashed head‐on with President Donald Trump over the Islamic Republic of Iran. After Clooney condemned the president’s hardline remarks as a "war crime," the White House hit back with a personal jab, saying that Clooney’s "terrible acting is the real crime."

The dispute began with a post President Trump made on January 7 (local time) on Truth Social, his social media platform. With a deadline for talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran approaching, he warned, "Tonight, a civilization will disappear and never come back," applying heavy pressure.
George Clooney responded the next day during a lecture in Cuneo, Italy, unleashing a blistering critique. According to multiple reports from The Guardian and The Independent, Clooney told an audience of more than 2,700 high school students, "If someone says they are going to wipe out a civilization, that is clearly a war crime." He added, "You can support a conservative point of view, but there are lines you don’t cross if you want to preserve basic decency," sharply criticizing the administration’s stance.

The White House reacted with immediate sarcasm. In a statement sent to British outlet The Independent, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung mocked, "The only person committing war crimes in this situation is George Clooney, with his awful movies and terrible acting." Rather than engaging on policy, the response targeted Clooney’s day job as an actor, seemingly to undercut the seriousness of his criticism.
Clooney did not back down. In an additional statement released through entertainment outlet Deadline, he argued, "In a crisis where beloved family members are being lost and children are dying, what those at the very top should be doing is engaging in robust debate, not hurling childish insults."
He went on to stress again the danger of President Trump’s remarks, citing the international‐law definition that "war crimes occur when there is an intent to physically destroy a nation." As for the mockery of his acting, he quipped, "I’m more than happy to accept being called a ‘failed actor’ for having appeared in Batman & Robin," yet he continued to level strong criticism at what he described as the irresponsible words and behavior of the country’s leadership.
Clooney is one of Hollywood’s most prominent supporters of the Democratic Party of the United States and has long been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump. President Trump has also mocked George Clooney and his wife for obtaining French citizenship, sneering that "the worst political prognosticators have moved to France" and jeering that "Clooney is more famous in politics than he is in movies."
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter