Mark Ruffalo backs George Clooney after he calls Trump's Iran threat 'war crimes'
WASHINGTON, DC: Actor George Clooney has accused President Donald Trump of crossing into war crime territory with his recent comments on Iran, and Mark Ruffalo has publicly backed him up.
The controversy began after Trump posted on Truth Social, demanding Iran accept ceasefire terms amid tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if they refused. A conditional two-week ceasefire was later reached, reopening the key shipping lane.
Speaking Wednesday to about 3,000 high school students in Cuneo, Italy, at an event for the Clooney Foundation for Justice, the actor said, “Some say Donald Trump is fine. But if anyone says he wants to end a civilization, 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.”
Mark Ruffalo endorses George Clooney's statement
The White House responded sharply. Communications Director Steven Cheung said the only person committing war crimes was Clooney. He told the Independent, “The only person committing war crimes is George Clooney for his awful movies and terrible acting ability.”
Clooney fired back in another statement, “Families are losing their loved ones. Children have been incinerated. The world’s economy is on a knife’s edge. This is a time for vigorous debate at the highest levels. Not for infantile name-calling."
"I’ll start. A war crime is alleged ‘when there is intent to physically destroy a nation,’ as defined by the Ge**cide Convention and the Rome Statute. What is the administration’s defense? [besides calling me a failed actor which I happily agree with, having starred in Batman and Robin?]," he added.
On Friday, Mark Ruffalo reposted Clooney’s remarks via a news article on X. He added no additional commentary of his own.
“Families are losing their loved ones. Children have been incinerated. The world’s economy is on a knife’s edge,” he said. “This is a time for vigorous debate at the highest levels. Not for infantile name calling. I’ll start. A war crime is alleged ‘when there is intent to…
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) April 10, 2026
Ruffalo’s post only amplified the criticism from Hollywood on the Trump administration’s handling of the Iran situation. Other stars, including Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Miley Cyrus, and Olivia Rodrigo, have also spoken out against the administration’s approach.
George Clooney versus Donald Trump
A longtime Democrat and major party donor, Clooney has been vocal about his politics for decades. He has often described his outspokenness as a moral duty, influenced by his upbringing by a journalist father and his marriage to human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.
In July 2024, Clooney wrote a guest essay in The New York Times urging then-President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race.
Despite their differences, Clooney has said he was once on friendly terms with Trump before his presidency.
He spilled in a recent Variety interview, "I knew him very well. He used to call me a lot, and he tried to help me get into a hospital once to see a back surgeon. I’d see him out at clubs and at restaurants. He’s a big goofball. Well, he was. That all changed.”
Trump has repeatedly responded to Clooney’s criticism over the years, calling him a “second-rate movie star,” a “third-rate actor,” a “fake movie actor” who “never came close to making a great movie,” and a “backstabber.”
