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Clooney targets US leadership
Actor George Clooney told reporters at the Venice Film Festival that the United States is being led by “the least capable people,” calling the period “unfortunate” and saying he hoped the country could return to “normalcy” after the upcoming midterm elections.
“George Clooney told reporters at the Venice International Film Festival”
Clooney said, “It’s not easy to live in a country led by the least capable people,” and he added that the midterm elections are in November and would be “a time to take stock.”
He also described the political moment as a “kakistocracy,” a term used to describe government by the least qualified or worst people, and he said, “There is a great word - kakistocracy.”
Clooney said he was being honored with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the festival, where he spoke about artificial intelligence, climate change, and the state of the film industry.
In the same remarks, Clooney said he felt “ashamed” of the actions of the US government and pointed to a social media post by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth involving women serving in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Hegseth post and decency
Clooney criticized what he described as the “normalization of cruelty in public discourse,” referring to a social media post by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth involving women serving in the Canadian Armed Forces.
He said, “The idea that cruelty is at the heart of and part of the world's fun... is truly absurd,” and he described the situation as a “kakistocracy,” a term he used to frame the US government’s direction.
Clooney also asked, “What is the sense of decency? Where has the sense of decency gone?” while adding, “We will overcome this too and emerge better.”
In a separate account of his remarks, BGNES reported that Clooney pointed to a post on the social media platform X by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that appeared to mock the physical appearance of an overweight Canadian servicewoman presenting a medal during a youth camp.
BGNES further quoted Clooney saying, “Where is the sense of decency in all of this? And I'm ashamed of all of it, but we will get through this period and come out the other side better,” linking his comments to the same Hegseth post.
Midterms and checks
Clooney said the November midterm elections could provide a “system of checks and balances,” and he told reporters that in 2028, “if we're lucky, there will be some restoration of normality.”
“we will return to a more normal situation”
In AFP-linked reporting carried by France 24, Clooney said midterm elections in November may provide a “check and balance,” while he added that “in 2028 with any luck we'll have some restoration into some normalcy.”
He also said he remembered living through other dark times in US history, including 1968 when “every city in the United States was set on fire” and when Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were lost in the same year.
Clooney said, “There was tons of violence. The Capitol was surrounded with tanks,” describing 1968 as a period of hardship that he said he had lived through.
As he tied his remarks to the US political timeline, Clooney said he would “return to a more normal situation” after the midterms, while also insisting, “We will get through it” amid what he called a kakistocracy.