“There must be a line of decency, and we must not cross it,” the actor said of the U.S. president’s threats to Iran.

George Clooney condemns Trump for threatening to eradicate ‘a whole civilization’: ‘That’s a war crime’

"There must be a line of decency, and we must not cross it," the actor said of the U.S. president's threats to Iran.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Popsugar.

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April 8, 2026 1:27 p.m. ET

George Clooney; Donald Trump. Credit:

Charley Gallay/Getty; Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty

George Clooney is not a fan of Donald Trump's "tough talk" during the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

The *Oceans Eleven* star, who has long been a critic of Trump, condemned the U.S. president for the threats against Iran he posted to his Truth Social platform Tuesday. "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," Trump wrote, in part, demanding that Iran agree to his terms for a ceasefire. (A deal was reached before the deadline set in Trump's post.)

"Some say Donald Trump is fine. But if anyone says he wants to end a civilization, that's a war crime," Clooney said Wednesday, according to Italian news agency ANSA. The actor was in Cuneo, Italy, speaking to 3,000 high school students at a special event organized by the Clooney Foundation for Justice. "You can still support the conservative point of view, but there must be a line of decency, and we must not cross it."

Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Dec. 29, 2025.

Jim WATSON/AFP via Getty

Clooney also shared his concern about the future of NATO after Trump's remarks that he's considering pulling out of the trans-Atlantic alliance after European member countries refused to be pulled into the Iran war.

"I'm worried about NATO," he said. "It has ensured that Europe, but also the rest of the world, has been safe. Dismantling an institution like this worries me. Aside from many mistakes, I believe the U.S. [with NATO] has also done many extraordinary things that have stood the test of time."

** has reached out to the White House for comment.

Jimmy Kimmel skewers Donald Trump for his tough talk about ending a civilization: 'It was the taco Tuesday of all taco Tuesdays'

Stephen Colbert reacts to Trump's 'hare-brained' Iran War speech next to Easter Bunny

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Clooney and Trump have been trading barbs and criticisms since the actor first attracted the former reality TV host's ire for calling out major media corporations ABC and CBS for acquiescing to Trump via lawsuit settlements during a time the star deemed particularly precarious.

"If CBS and ABC had challenged those lawsuits and said, 'Go f--- yourself,' we wouldn't be where we are in the country. That's simply the truth," Clooney declared, adding that he's grown more concerned about Trump's increasing influence over the media as David Ellison, Paramount Skydance's new owner, has seemingly been shaping CBS News' coverage in a more MAGA-friendly way.

George Clooney attends the SAG-AFTRA Foundation event on Nov. 10, 2025.

Araya Doheny/Getty

Trump called out the actor in a message posted to Truth Social, writing, "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!"

Days later, EW obtained a statement from the 64-year-old actor in response to the president's criticism. "I totally agree with the current president. We have to make America great again," Clooney's statement reads, referencing Trump's signature slogan, before looking ahead to midterm elections. "We’ll start in November."

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