Actor George Clooney criticized former President Donald Trump and reflected on “who he was” in the 2000s during an interview with CNN host Chris Wallace that aired Friday.
Clooney, who last year called Trump a “lazy man,” told Wallace he had Trump’s phone number in his “phone book” and recalled speaking with the former president in 2000.
“He was the guy who came to the bars and asked me which cocktail waitress was single, you know, that’s him,” Clooney said.
The actor also reflected on the possibility of a showdown between President Joe Biden and Trump in the 2024 election, later adding that part of him says that “a guy” like Trump shouldn’t be president. He was wrong about his initial belief in his potential to become president, Clooney said.
“And our democracy, I believe, has paid a price certainly around the world,” Clooney said. “I worry about that possibility, too. I don’t think it’s as good as some people fear, but I worry about it. I think we’re in a time where we need interesting candidates everywhere.”
You can watch more of the actor’s remarks below.
The actor told Wallace that he doesn’t think a rematch is “as likely as people think” between Biden and Trump.
Biden told “60 Minutes” in September that he intends to run for president again in 2024, but added that it “remains to be seen” whether another campaign is a “firm decision.”
Trump also has yet to make a formal announcement about his plans for 2024, although he has teased the possibility of running for a second term.
During Wallace’s interview with Clooney, he also asked the actor how worried he was about American democracy.
Clooney addressed his concerns, including concerns about the “roughing up of America” and the celebration of unkindness.
He blasted Republican-backed efforts to send migrants to regions like Martha’s Vineyard, calling the actions “the new joke” and “the new cruelty.”
“I look at where we are in this kind of coarsening of our discourse and I find it troubling,” Clooney said.