Actor vs Prez: Mark Ruffalo calls Trump ‘worst human being’, White House retorts with 'worst actor'

Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo used the Golden Globes red carpet to launch a fierce criticism of President Donald Trump, calling him the “worst human being” while joining a growing celebrity push demanding accountability over recent fatal shootings involving US immigration agents. The White House swiftly returned fire, dismissing Ruffalo as “one of the worst actors in the business.” 

Ruffalo, 58, was among several high-profile attendees who wore black-and-white “BE GOOD” and “ICE OUT” pins – a coordinated tribute to Renee Nicole Good, the 37-year-old Minneapolis woman shot dead by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer earlier this month. The badges also honoured Keith Porter, killed by an off-duty ICE agent in Los Angeles just days earlier.

Ruffalo condemns Trump, cites ICE killings and foreign policy

Speaking to USA Today, Ruffalo said, “This is for Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered.” He went on to sharply criticise Trump for his rhetoric and foreign policy, especially regarding US operations in Venezuela.

“We're in the middle of a war with Venezuela that we illegally invaded. He's telling the world that international law doesn't matter to him,” Ruffalo said. “The only thing that matters to him is his own morality, but the guy is a convicted felon; a convicted rapist. He’s a pedophile.”

Trump was convicted in 2024 on 34 counts of falsifying business records. In a separate civil case, a jury found him liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in 1996 – but he was not criminally charged. He has never been charged with any sex offence, including those referenced by Ruffalo.

Ruffalo added: “He's the worst human being. If we're relying on this guy's morality for the most powerful country in the world, then we're all in a lot of trouble.”

White House dismisses Ruffalo as ‘worst actors in the business’

Asked for comment, the White House directed The Independent to a post by Communications Director Steven Cheung on X.

Cheung wrote that Ruffalo was “one of the worst actors in the business,” adding, “More impressively, he's an even worse human being by spewing outright lies because deep down inside, he hates himself for knowingly subjecting the public to his god awful performance.”

The exchange added fresh political tension to what had already become one of the most charged Golden Globes ceremonies in years.

Celebrities unite behind ‘Be Good’ campaign

The “Be Good” initiative, supported by the National Domestic Workers Alliance and endorsed by the ACLU, urges compassion, restraint and accountability from federal agencies following the recent ICE-linked deaths.

According to campaign organisers, the message is intended to convey “a call for humanity rather than confrontation” – one reason stars opted for pins instead of overt speeches during the ceremony.

Wanda Sykes, Jean Smart, Ariana Grande and Natasha Lyonne also wore the pins. Sykes told Variety, “Of course this is for the mother who was murdered by an ICE agent... We need to speak up. We need to be out there and shut this rogue government down because it’s just awful what they’re doing to people.”

Smart, who wore the badge while accepting her award, said the country was “at a turning point,” noting: “I’m here speaking as a citizen and a mom… If you feel strongly about something, and you have the chance to share your feelings, you should do it.”

ICE shootings spark protests, investigations

The shooting of Renee Good during an ICE operation in Minneapolis has prompted large-scale demonstrations across multiple cities. Federal officials claim Good drove her vehicle toward an agent, prompting a self-defence response. Local authorities reviewing body-camera footage have publicly disputed that interpretation, calling the agent’s actions “reckless.”

The FBI has opened an investigation into the incident.

Just a week earlier, 43-year-old Keith Porter was shot by an off-duty ICE officer in Los Angeles, triggering further protests and renewed calls for federal accountability.

Advocacy groups say the Golden Globes platform helped draw national attention to these deaths. As Nelini Stamp of Working Families Power put it, “We need every part of civil society to speak up… We need our artists. We need our entertainers.”