White House Slams Mark Ruffalo After Explosive Attacks on Trump and JD Vance
Mark Ruffalo turned the 2026 Golden Globes red carpet into a political lightning rod, sparking a fierce back-and-forth with the White House.
The veteran actor and activist used his platform to condemn the Trump administration’s immigration policies following a deadly incident in Minneapolis. The fallout has since escalated into a war of words between the Marvel star and high-ranking federal officials.
Ruffalo arrived at the ceremony wearing a black-and-white pin with the words “BE GOOD,” a tribute to 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good. Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7. While the Department of Homeland Security maintains the agent acted in self-defense, Ruffalo and other activists have branded the shooting a murder and called for federal agents to leave Minnesota.
“This is for Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered,” Ruffalo told reporters on the red carpet. He didn’t stop at the tribute, quickly pivoting to a blistering critique of President Trump’s foreign and domestic policies. The actor accused the administration of an illegal invasion of Venezuela and attacked the president’s personal character in no uncertain terms.
We’re in the middle of a war with Venezuela that we illegally invaded,” Ruffalo said. “He’s telling the world that international law doesn’t matter to him. The only thing that matters to him is his own morality. But the guy is a convicted felon, a convicted r****.”
He continued with even stronger language, adding, “He’s a ped*****. 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.”
“He’s telling the world that international law doesn’t matter to him,” Ruffalo said, referring to the president as a convicted felon and using even harsher labels regarding his morality. The actor argued that the country is in “a lot of trouble” if it continues to rely on the current administration’s judgment. These comments were particularly pointed given the tense political climate following the Minneapolis shooting, which the White House has characterized as an act of “domestic terrorism.”
The White House was quick to fire back at the Task star. Steven Cheung, the White House Director of Communications, took to X to issue a scathing rebuttal that attacked Ruffalo’s professional talent as well as his character. Cheung dismissed the actor as a “poor thing” and suggested that his political outbursts were merely a way to distract from what he called “god awful performance.”
“More impressively, he’s an even worse human being by spewing outright lies because deep down inside, he hates himself,” Cheung wrote in the viral post. The administration has doubled down on its defense of the ICE agent involved in the Good shooting, maintaining that the use of force was justified. This public spat marks one of the most aggressive confrontations between the executive branch and a Hollywood figure in recent years.
Poor thing Mark Ruffalo, star of She-Hulk, is one of the worst actors in the business. 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. https://t.co/yA1nknVe7W
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) January 12, 2026
Away from the political fray, Ruffalo has been enjoying a productive stretch in his acting career. He was nominated at the Globes for his leading role in the HBO drama series Task, where he plays a veteran FBI agent. The series has been a critical hit, further cementing Ruffalo’s reputation as one of the most versatile actors of his generation.
In addition to his television work, fans are eagerly awaiting his return to the big screen in the upcoming thriller Crime 101, which is slated for a late 2026 release. The film features a powerhouse pairing, as Ruffalo stars alongside Chris Hemsworth in a high-stakes heist story based on the novella by Don Winslow.
As the 2026 awards season continues, it is likely that the “BE GOOD” campaign will remain a fixture on red carpets across Hollywood. Ruffalo has shown no signs of backing down, frequently using his social media presence to organize support for Good’s family and broader immigration reform.
The intersection of celebrity influence and federal policy continues to be a defining theme of the current cultural landscape.
Do you think actors like Mark Ruffalo should use awards show red carpets to protest government actions, or should they keep the focus on the films? Share your thoughts in the comments.