U.S. Is Governed by "Least Qualified People," Says George Clooney

The United States is currently under a “kakistocracy,” or governed by “the least qualified people,” Hollywood star George Clooney stated on Wednesday regarding his country and the administration of Donald Trump.

The renowned 65-year-old actor will receive an honorary Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement on Wednesday during the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival.

When asked at a press conference about how he views the United States today under the Trump administration, the actor affirmed that the country is going through “difficult times.”

“There is a great word, kakistocracy, which is a country governed by the least qualified people. I think we may have a kakistocracy right now,” he declared. “But we will get through it,” he added.

“We will have elections in November (...) And then, with a little luck, in 2028 we will recover some normalcy,” he said in reference to the midterm elections and the presidential race two years from now.

Defining himself as an “optimist,” Clooney recalled that he himself lived through other dark periods.

“I am old enough to have lived through 1968 in the United States, when all the cities in the country were burning and we lost Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy in the same year. There was tons of violence. The Capitol was surrounded by tanks,” he commented.

“We have gone through other difficult times, and this is one of them,” he added.

This fervent Democrat, heavily involved in fundraising for the party, was a major supporter of Barack Obama first and later Joe Biden.

Clooney, whose activism took center stage when he denounced the situation in Darfur, Sudan, is married to human rights attorney Amal Alamuddin.

At the end of 2025, Clooney obtained French nationality to settle with his family in France.

U.S. President Donald Trump mocked the actor at the time, stating that he “has become better known for politics than for his few, entirely mediocre movies.”