US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Paris was welcome to Hollywood star George Clooney after the actor got French citizenship – and took the opportunity to bash France, too.
Trump, whose administration has backed anti-immigration parties in Europe, said key ally France had a “horrendous” problem with crime and immigration.
French citizens
An official decree seen by AFP on Monday showed that 64-year-old Oscar winner Clooney, his wife Amal Alamuddin Clooney and their two children had become French citizens.
“Good News! George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem because of their absolutely horrendous handling of immigration,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.
In one of a string of posts on New Year’s Eve, Trump added that France’s alleged problems were “much like we had under Sleepy Joe Biden,” his Democratic predecessor.
“Oceans Eleven” star Clooney is a long-term Democratic supporter and fundraiser, and a vocal critic of Trump.
‘Mediocre’ movies
In his social media post, Trump recalled the fact that the actor backed Biden during the 2024 US presidential election but then “dumped” him becoming concerned about the Democrat’s age during a fundraising event he hosted.
“Clooney got more publicity for politics than he did for his very few, and totally mediocre, movies. He wasn’t a movie star at all, he was just an average guy who complained, constantly, about common sense in politics,” Trump said.
George Clooney’s newly acquired citizenship has also raised hackles in France.
A junior member of President Emmanuel Macron’s government on Wednesday criticised Clooney getting his passport despite speaking poor French, saying the move suggested a “double standard.”
The news comes ahead of language requirements for citizenship being toughened for everyone else under new immigration rules from January 1.
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse