George Clooney, Donald Trump, and Hollywood’s Shifting Relationship With Politics

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

  • George Clooney says he once had a friendly relationship with Donald Trump, describing him as “a big goofball” before politics changed everything.
  • The article highlights how Hollywood’s stance on Trump has evolved, with more A-list support emerging during his second term.
  • High-profile entertainers like Kid Rock, Carrie Underwood, and Jason Aldean have publicly aligned themselves with Trump and his vision for America.
  • Trump tapped three celebrity envoys to help “bring Hollywood back,” signaling a strategy to merge politics, culture, and business.
  • The story illustrates how celebrity influence and political branding now intertwine more than ever in modern American culture.

Table of Contents

George Clooney’s former friendship with Trump

In the Fox News report, based on an interview Clooney gave to Variety, the actor reflects on a surprisingly cordial past with Donald Trump. Clooney, now 64, explains that he “knew him very well” before Trump’s full immersion into politics.

According to Clooney, Trump “used to call me a lot” and even tried to help him get access to a back surgeon at a hospital. The two would cross paths at clubs and restaurants, suggesting that they inhabited overlapping social circles long before campaigns and rallies defined Trump’s public image.

Clooney then delivers the line that anchors the article: Trump was “a big goofball. Well, he was. That all changed.” It’s a concise way of saying that, in Clooney’s view, political power reshaped Trump’s persona from lighthearted social figure to polarizing political force.

How Hollywood support for Trump has shifted

While Clooney is critical, Fox News underscores that not all of Hollywood is anti-Trump, particularly during his second term. The article notes that a growing number of recognizable stars have become more comfortable voicing their support.

Musician Kid Rock, in a January appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend”, framed Trump’s presidency as a kind of national resurgence, saying, “It feels like the rebirth of our nation” and that there’s an “overwhelming sense … that America’s back.”

He also suggests that some in the entertainment industry waited to see how Trump’s political story would unfold before openly backing him, joking that Hollywood now feels it’s “safe to go in the water” after years of hesitation.

Engagement tip: If you follow political commentary from entertainers, consider tracking how their tone has changed between 2016, 2020, and 2024. Noting those shifts can help you understand broader cultural and audience trends.

Celebrity performances and public appearances

The article points to several high-visibility moments where big-name entertainers aligned themselves with Trump:

  • Carrie Underwood performed “America the Beautiful” at Trump’s inauguration, calling it an honor and emphasizing her love of country.
  • Jason Aldean and his wife Brittany made multiple public appearances in support of Trump, including being seen with him at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

For fans, these choices can be read as more than one-off events—they often signal a performer’s comfort staking out a clear public stance in a deeply polarized environment.

Interactive idea: If you’re interested in the intersection of music and politics, you might create your own watchlist of performances at inaugurations and conventions across different administrations and compare how artists present patriotism and policy through their sets and statements.

Celebrity envoys and Trump’s Hollywood strategy

One of the more distinctive details in the piece is Trump’s announcement of three celebrity “Special Ambassadors” to Hollywood: Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump describes Hollywood as a “great but very troubled place” that has lost business to foreign markets over the previous four years. His stated goal: bring the industry “BACK – BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”

These envoys are tasked with being his “eyes and ears”, offering suggestions on how to restore what he calls a new “Golden Age of Hollywood.”

From a media strategy standpoint, this is a blend of branding and governance: pairing familiar film icons with a policy narrative about American economic and cultural renewal.

What this evolving Hollywood–politics dynamic means for you

Whether you lean left, right, or somewhere in the middle, the Fox News article offers a case study in how celebrity power, politics, and media coverage now shape one another:

  • Actors and musicians are increasingly public political actors, not just entertainers.
  • Personal relationships—like Clooney’s past friendship with Trump—can evolve dramatically as public roles change.
  • Strategic appointments, such as Trump’s Hollywood envoys, show how culture is used to frame broader economic and political goals.

For readers, staying informed means not only tracking what celebrities say, but why they say it, when they choose to speak up, and how outlets frame those narratives.

If you want to dive deeper, explore additional Fox News Entertainment coverage on political celebrities or compare how different outlets portray the same figures. This cross-checking can help you build a more balanced, data-driven view of the Hollywood–Washington feedback loop.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/george-clooney-takes-aim-trump-says-he-a-big-goofball-before-politics