George Clooney: The US Is Now Run by the Least Qualified People

George Clooney used the opening day of the Venice Film Festival to deliver a sharply critical assessment of the United States under Donald Trump’s administration. The 65-year-old actor, who will receive the festival’s Golden Lion for lifetime achievement, said he felt ashamed of the US government.

Speaking at a press conference about his career, artificial intelligence, climate change and the state of the film industry, Clooney said the country was in “a wretched situation.” He added that even this description might be too mild.

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I am really ashamed of the US government.

Clooney reached for the word “kakistocracy,” which refers to a country governed by the least qualified people. “I think maybe we have a kakistocracy right now, but we will get through it,” he said. He has criticized the Trump administration before and said the November midterm elections could serve as a “check and balance.” If things went well, he added, the United States could return to “some semblance of normalcy” in 2028.

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I think maybe we have a kakistocracy right now, but we will get through it.

Calling himself an optimist, Clooney recalled earlier difficult periods in American history. He said he was old enough to remember 1968, when cities across the United States were burning and the country lost Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. He also referred to widespread violence and a period when tanks surrounded the Capitol.

Clooney criticized a post by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on X that mocked the appearance of an overweight Canadian servicewoman who presented medals at a youth camp. “Where is the decency in any of this?” Clooney asked. He said he was ashamed, but believed the country would overcome the period and emerge better.

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Where is the decency in any of this?