George Clooney condemns Washington shooting and calls on citizens to ‘truly make America great again’
George Clooney used his acceptance speech at the Film at Lincoln Center's Chaplin Award ceremony to condemn recent political violence, including the White House correspondents' dinner shooting, and called for national unity against hatred and division. He criticized the current administration's values while emphasizing that violence has no place in American discourse. Clooney urged citizens across the political spectrum to work together to 'truly make America great again' by healing societal wounds. His remarks follow previous criticism of inflammatory political rhetoric, including threats made against Iran.
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George Clooney attends the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York to acccept the Chaplin award on Monday. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/ReutersView image in fullscreenGeorge Clooney attends the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York to acccept the Chaplin award on Monday. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/ReutersGeorge ClooneyGeorge Clooney condemns Washington shooting and calls on citizens to ‘truly make America great again’ Star tells awards ceremony: ‘I disagree with everything that this administration stands for, but there’s no place for the kind of violence we saw two nights ago’Andrew PulverTue 28 Apr 2026 06.22 EDTLast modified on Tue 28 Apr 2026 06.24 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleIn the wake of the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner, George Clooney used an awards-show speech to make a plea against “hatred and corruption and cruelty and violence”.Clooney was speaking at an event at the Lincoln Center in New York, where he was given Film at Lincoln Center’s annual Chaplin award, which “recognises an individual’s significant contribution to cinema”.In remarks reported by Variety, Clooney said: “I disagree with everything that this administration stands for, but there’s no place for the kind of violence we saw two nights ago in Washington DC. Nor is there a room for this kind of violence in Minnesota with Alex Pretti or Renee Good.”Clooney added: “It seems to me there’s a struggle that has to be won against hatred and corruption and cruelty and violence. It’s a struggle for the very soul of this republic because to foment hate and violence is to inherit the wind … The question is simply, what are we, as citizens of this great country, to do? And it is that answer in all of us, left, right and centre, to build a more perfect union, heal our wounds and begin to truly make America great again.”Clooney’s intervention followed his criticism of Trump’s “a whole civilisation will die tonight” threat against Iran. In April, Clooney spoke to students at an event organised by the Clooney Foundation for Justice, saying: “Some say Donald Trump is fine. But if anyone says he wants to end a civilisation, that’s a war crime. You can still support the conservative point of view but there must be a line of decency, and we must not cross it.”Explore more on these topicsGeorge ClooneyWhite House correspondents' dinner shootingnewsShareReuse this content
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