George Clooney hopes Trump succeeds because 'terrible things' happen when the president fails

Actor and The Sentry co-founder George Clooney appears on a panel with The Sentry investigators to discuss their work investigating the ongoing humanitarian crisis in South Sudan during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, U.S. September 12, 2016. (Reuters)

George Clooney said "really terrible things happen" when the president of the United States fail. So despite not voting for Donald Trump, he hopes the President-elect succeeds in office.

"We have to hope that he can do a decent job, because when the president of the United States fails, really terrible things happen," Clooney said Monday at a London reception for Syria rescue-workers documentary "The White Helmets."

"I think we're going to be a little unlucky now," Clooney said of Trump's upcoming presidency. "I can only hope for the best."

The actor couldn't help but take a swipe at Trump following the president-elect's tweet that actress Meryl Streep is "overrated." Streep took aim at Trump in a speech at Sunday night's Golden Globe Awards.

"Aren't you supposed to be running the country?" Clooney asked Trump rhetorically, according to People magazine.

Clooney's production company is working on a feature-film version of the story of the Syrian Civil Defense "White Helmets," search-and-rescue teams who have gained international recognition for rescuing people from bombed-out buildings in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

He and his lawyer wife, Amal Clooney, have given their support to the Netflix-backed documentary, which is on the 10-strong Academy Awards shortlist for best documentary short.

Clooney said that as a celebrity, "I can't change policy ... but I can make things louder.

"The White Helmets are the heroes. So if I can help them out at all, and people can know about it, in any way possible, that's a good use of celebrity, I think."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.