2 months ago
17
US President Donald Trump has seemingly welcomed the news Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife, Amal Clooney, have been granted French citizenship, calling the pair “two of the worst political prognosticators of all time” and claiming the actor was better known for his politics than his “totally mediocre movies”.
The naturalisation of the US-born star of the Ocean’s series of heist movies, his human rights lawyer wife and their twins Ella and Alexander was announced last weekend in the Journal Officiel, where French government decrees are published.
George and Amal Clooney at the 78th Tony Awards in New York last year.Credit: AP
Clooney flagged the move in an interview with Esquire in October, saying he was “worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood”.
“I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids,” he said. Growing up away from the spotlight in France, “they have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”
On Thursday morning (AEDT), Trump responded on his Truth Social platform, declaring it was “Good News!”
“Two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem because of their absolutely horrendous handling of immigration much like we had under Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump wrote.
US President Donald Trump said George Clooney wasn’t a movie star at all.Credit: AP
Before taking aim at Clooney’s movie career, Trump referenced the star’s intervention in the 2024 presidential race, during which Clooney withdrew support for then incumbent and candidate Biden.
“Remember when Clooney, after the now infamous debate, dumped Joe during a fundraiser, only to go onto the side of another stellar candidate, Jamala(K!), who is now fighting it out with the worst governor in the Country, including Tim Waltz, Gavin Newscum, for who is going to lead the Democrats to their future defeat,” Trump wrote.
“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!”
French government defends decision
The French government said the couple were granted citizenship because “they contribute, through their distinguished actions, to France’s international influence and cultural outreach.”
It was responding to concerns raised by Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, a junior minister at the Interior Ministry, who said this week that some of the Clooneys’ new French compatriots may think the star couple were granted special treatment. The actor speaks only what he himself says is “horrible, horrible” French.
“The message being sent is not good,” Vedrenne said in an interview with broadcaster France Info. “There is an issue of fairness that, in my eyes, is absolutely essential.”
The couple bought an estate in France in 2021, and Clooney has said that it’s their primary residence. Non-French residents of France have multiple possible routes to becoming naturalised. It wasn’t clear whether the 64-year-old actor retained his American citizenship. His 47-year-old wife was born in Lebanon and raised in the UK and naturalised by France under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin. The eight-year-old twins were born in London.
Loading
The Foreign Ministry said the Clooneys were eligible for citizenship under a French law that allows for the naturalisation of foreign nationals who contribute to France’s international influence and economic wellbeing.
It argued that France’s cinema industry will benefit from the actor’s clout as a global movie star and said that as a lawyer, Amal Clooney regularly worked with academic institutions and international organisations in France.
“They maintain strong personal, professional and family ties with our country,” the ministry said.
“Like many French citizens, we are delighted to welcome Georges and Amal Clooney into the national community,” it concluded, giving the actor’s first name a French twist by adding the “s” at the end.
The decision was also defended by Vedrenne’s superior at the Interior Ministry, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who said he signed the naturalisation decree.
Loading
“It’s a big chance for our country,” he said.
In recent media interviews when he was promoting his film Jay Kelly, Clooney said he was trying to teach himself French using a language-learning app. He said his wife and children speak the language perfectly.
“They speak French in front of me so that they can say terrible things about me to my face and I don’t know,” he joked, speaking to French broadcaster Canal+.
French media have reported that the Clooneys live part-time in their luxury 18th-century villa outside the town of Brignoles in southern France, where they can keep a lower profile and their children are protected from unauthorised photographs by French privacy laws.
With AP
Most Viewed in Culture
Loading
