George Clooney fires back at Trump after US president mocks his French citizenship | George Clooney

George Clooney has lashed out at US President Donald Trump for criticizing France’s decision to grant French citizenship to the Hollywood actor and his family.

The 64-year-old Oscar-winning actor, his wife Amal Alamuddin Clooney and their two children became French citizens earlier this month after living on an estate in southern France for years.

Clooney praised French privacy laws that largely shielded his family from international media interference and the opportunity to raise his children outside Hollywood.

Trump, whose administration supports anti-immigration parties in Europe, wrote on Truth Social that France welcomes the Ocean’s Eleven star, a longtime Democratic supporter, fundraiser and vocal critic of the president.

“Good news! George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prophets of all time, have officially become citizens of France, which is unfortunately at the center of a major crime problem due to their absolutely appalling handling of immigration,” Trump wrote.

“Clooney has received more publicity in the political arena than his very few and completely mediocre films,” the president added. “He certainly wasn’t a movie star; he was just an average guy who constantly complained about common sense in politics.”

Referring to the US midterm elections on November 3, Clooney told the Hollywood Reporter: in response: “I completely agree with the current president. We must make America great again. We’ll start in November.”

The news that Clooney and his family will be French comes before language requirements for citizenship are toughened for everyone under new immigration rules from January 1.

One of the junior members of the government of French President Emmanuel Macron also criticized the decision to grant Clooney a passport despite his poor ability to speak French.

Deputy interior minister Marie-Pierre Vedrenne told radio station France Info: “I personally understand the feelings of some French people about the double standard.” “We must be careful about the message we send”

His boss, interior minister Laurent Nunez, and the foreign ministry defended the decision.

The civil code states that “French citizenship may be granted by naturalization, on the proposal of the minister of foreign affairs, to any French-speaking alien who has applied for it and who has contributed by his distinguished services to the influence of France and to the prosperity of its international economic relations.”

Under new immigration rules, applicants will need a certificate showing they speak French at a level sufficient to enter a French university. They will also have to pass a civics test.

However, Clooney admitted that his French was poor. “I love French culture, your language, although after 400 days of courses I am still bad at it,” the actor told RTL radio in English in December.

The international human rights lawyer and her husband, a dual UK-Lebanese national, speak French fluently.

Clooney purchased Domaine du Canadel, a former wine estate near the Provencal town of Brignoles, in 2021. He said it was where his family was “happiest.”

Interior Minister Nunez said he was “very happy” that the actor and his family were French and that the country was lucky to have them.

The French foreign ministry said the allocation of passports to the Clooneys “met the conditions established by law” for naturalization and “followed a strict procedure, including security investigations, regulatory naturalization interviews at the prefecture and the payment of tax stamps.”

The ministry said that through the actor’s role in the film industry, the Clooneys “contributed with their distinguished service to the international influence and cultural prestige of France”, adding that this “will only contribute to maintaining and improving France’s position in this important economic sector”.

The ministry added that Amal Clooney is “a renowned lawyer who regularly collaborates with academic institutions and international organizations based in France.”

According to Ministry of Internal Affairs figures, approximately 48,800 people received French citizenship by decree in 2024.

Clooney is not alone in wanting a French passport: On Friday, Hollywood director Jim Jarmusch also announced that he had applied, telling French radio that he wanted “somewhere where I can escape from the United States.”

Agence-France Press contributed to this report