Speaking at event for documentary on volunteers in Syria, actor says US ‘is a little unlucky’ to have Trump as president-elect

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

George Clooney gave his backing to Meryl Streep’s scathing attack on Donald Trump.

Trump took to Twitter on Monday to describe Streep as overrated after she used her platform at the Golden Globes to condemn his imitation of a disabled reporter and accuse him of spreading hate and violence.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Meryl Streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes. She is a.....

“Aren’t you supposed to be running the country?” said Clooney in response. “I didn’t vote for him, I don’t support him, I don’t think he’s the right choice.

“At this moment in our lives we have to hope that he doesn’t destroy everything. The reality is you have to hope he will do a decent job because if the United States fails, really terrible things happen, so you have to hope that he can.”

But he added: “I don’t see any signs of it.”

Clooney suggested that after a lucky run of previous presidents including Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Kennedy, America had got “a little unlucky with Bush” and that “I think we’re going to be a little unlucky now.”

Clooney was speaking at a reception for a Netflix documentary, The White Helmets, which follows the lives of the rescue volunteers in Syria. The actor recently acquired the rights to make a fiction film based on the documentary, but said it was still in very early stages.

Clooney said the film would be done in Arabic with English subtitles and that he intended to involve “as many Syrian people and [as much] Syrian talent as we can”.

Good on you Meryl Streep in your new role as press freedom champion Read more

Clooney said that bringing public attention to the bravery of people such as the White Helmets was one good way he could use his public platform.

“The only reason that people who are well known should be involved in these kinds of things is when no one knows about them,” he said.

“I can’t change policy but I can make things louder. The filmmakers, they are the brave ones, they are the ones who are doing all the work and are the heroes. So if I can help them out at all so people know about it, then that’s a good use of celebrity I think.”