George Clooney Slams Trump Over Capitol Hill Protests ‘A Tremendous Overreach'”
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In 2021, George Clooney criticized former President Donald Trump for the January 6th protests at the U.S. Capitol. On an episode of KCRW’s The Business, Clooney expressed his deep sorrow over witnessing ‘the People’s House being desecrated’ by Trump supporters.
Speaking to show host Kim Masters, Clooney shared his dismay over the demonstration. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s devastating to watch the people’s house being desecrated in that way. But it is also a tremendous overreach in a way — everybody kept waiting for, what’s the one thing, the straw that breaks the camel’s back and it just seemed like that line kept getting moved and moved and moved and outrage didn’t even matter anymore.”
Clooney also discussed a phone conversation where Trump allegedly pressured Brad Raffensperger, the Secretary of State of Georgia, to ‘find’ more votes to help him overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the state. Clooney remarked, “Even to the point of calling the Secretary of State in Georgia and pressuring him. None of that seemed to matter. This mattered.”
He went on to say, “This puts Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka, all of them, into the dustbin of history. That name will now forever be associated with insurrection.” Clooney also referenced a comment by General John F. Kelly, a former White House chief of staff, who had stated he would have voted to remove Trump from office by invoking the 25th Amendment if he had been a cabinet member.
Clooney added, “This is a big, big difference. If this is what it takes to set us on the right path, I think that, not that it’s worth it, it’s not worth it in any shape or form, but at least we should find something hopeful to come out of some of this disaster.” At the time, there was a growing demand for Trump’s removal from office before his term ended. Trump later conceded defeat to Biden in a video message and denounced the violence.
On January 6, 2021, hundreds of Trump supporters gathered for a ‘Save America’ protest in an attempt to overturn the election results. Near the White House on the National Mall, Trump spoke to the crowd for 70 minutes, urging them to march on Congress, where lawmakers were confirming Biden’s victory.
The rally, reported by NBC News as ‘Stop the Steal,’ saw Trump encouraging his supporters to insist that lawmakers “do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated.” Trump also pressured Vice President Mike Pence to deny Biden’s confirmation.
