This week Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk demonstrated he knows how to charm and break the ice with celebrities.
When meeting the famous Hollywood actor George Clooney, a staunch critic of Donald Trump, he self-deprecatingly introduced himself by saying: “My name is Donald. It’s not my fault. It wasn’t my choice.”
Clearly amused the movie star laughed and replied, “It’s okay”. In turn, his wife – human rights lawyer and activist Amal Clooney – greeted Tusk: “Good morning, Prime Minister, nice to meet you,” before adding in Polish: “Good day.”
Earlier, the Prime Minister published a joint photo with the couple, captioning it with the laconic comment: “Amal and George Clooney agree with me that Poland is the best place on Earth.” This was a reference to his own words spoken at the conference, where he argued that Poland today is “the fastest growing country in Europe and one of the most ambitious nations on the continent” and “the best place on earth to live and fulfil your dreams.”
Trump vs Clooney
The beef between Clooney and the US President Donald Trump has a long history. For years, the actor has been openly critical of the president – both his views and his governing style.
The pair knew each other way before Trump entered politics, but their relationship has deteriorated dramatically over the years.
As Euronews Culture reported last year, the Clooney family have now made France their main residence, partly out of their strong emotional bond with the country. And Clooney is not alone among celebrities opting to leave or expressing a wish the quit the States since Trump regained power.
On New Year’s Eve, Donald Trumptook to his Truth Social platform to target the actor and his wife.
In the process, he attacked France, the Democrats and the party’s former candidates. “Clooney gained more fame through politics than through his few and utterly mediocre films. He wasn’t a movie star at all, he was just an average guy who constantly complained about the lack of common sense in politics. Let’s make America great again!” wrote Trump.
Campaigning concerns
The Clooney family appeared at this year’s ImpactCEE’26 conference in Poznan as speakers. Amal Clooney has been involved in the defence of human rights for years – she has represented victims of Russian aggression against Ukraine and fought for justice for the Yazidis.
She and her husband have been running the Foundation for Justice since 2026, working to fight systemic injustice in courtrooms around the world.
“The system of international law is in crisis today, with world leaders increasingly openly ignoring the law,” – Amal Clooney told the gathering in Poznan.
She added that the current times are the most difficult in her legal career, reiterating: “The system is in crisis when the leadership of the United States is missing.”
ImpactCEE
Impact CEE is one of the largest economic and technology conferences in Central and Eastern Europe, organised in Poznań, bringing together business, political, scientific and cultural leaders from around the world.
The gathering brought together almost 650 speakers this year across 26 thematic tracks. Guests included writers Olga Tokarczuk and Szczepan Twardoch, historian Timothy Snyder, economist Daron Acemoglu and popular French scientist Jessie Inchausp.
Guests in previous editions have included Barack and Michelle Obama, actors Jesse Eisenberg and Natalie Portman, and political scientist Francis Fukuyama.