Photos published by a British tabloid showing Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat, and his wife, Dawn, aboard a yacht reportedly owned by actor George Clooney during a Labor Day weekend trip in Italy have drawn criticism from Republican critics including the White House.

Why It Matters

Moore, 46, a businessman and former U.S. Army officer, was elected as Maryland’s governor in 2022. His name has been one of many tossed around by Democrats as a potential candidate to take back the White House in 2028, though Moore himself has not entertained such speculation and has repeatedly stated that his gubernatorial duties remain front and center.

Actor and filmmaker Clooney, globally renowned as one of the top box office stars of the past three decades, made headlines last year when he wrote a scathing New York Times op-ed warning that President Joe Biden would not defeat Donald Trump in an election rematch. Clooney’s words snowballed into broader calls for Biden to drop out of the race, which he eventually did to allow Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic nominee.

Clooney previously praised Moore in a CNN interview this past spring, calling him “a proper leader” and a potential candidate in 2028.

What To Know

Photos published by the Daily Mail last weekend showed Moore and his wife on a yacht on Lake Como, Italy, near a villa Clooney and his wife own that’s reportedly valued at approximately $100 million.

The Maryland governor and his spouse were reportedly granted access to the villa while the actor and his wife attended a film festival, and the property was described in British press as a multimillion-dollar estate.

A spokesperson from Moore’s office referred to Moore’s trip as a personal vacation to a friend’s residence.

“The governor paid for a trip to celebrate his wife’s 50th birthday,” Moore’s communications director, David Turner, told Newsweek via email on Thursday.

While away, Moore was still responsible for his governor duties and did not put Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller in charge.

“The governor was not temporarily unable to perform his duties and therefore did not appoint the lieutenant governor to serve as acting governor in his stead,” Turner said.

Republicans, including White House officials, criticized the trip as tone-deaf amid concerns about crime in Baltimore. President Donald Trump announced federal law enforcement would be sent to the major city in response to the city’s problems, echoing efforts in cities like Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

“While Baltimoreans are terrified to leave their homes due to unsafe streets, @GovWesMoore is living the high life on Lake Como, Italy with George Clooney,” Maryland state delegate Mark Fisher wrote on X.

Fisher, in an interview with the Baltimore Sun, wondered whether Moore took his security detail—and, if so, who paid for it to travel overseas. He also asked how Moore and his wife got to Italy, be it by Clooney’s private jet or otherwise.

“It’s so obtuse, it’s so elitist,” Fisher told the Sun. “It’s like the Charles Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities, where you have the governor of Maryland who’s living this large life, exactly the way public officials aren’t supposed to be living.

“Meanwhile, the citizens of Baltimore are living in abject poverty with no opportunity, with crime, with fear of leaving their homes. It’s sad.”

The X account “No Moore,” described as a grassroots effort to challenge the Moore administration’s tax-and-spend policies, posted this on X: “@GovWesMoore traded Annapolis for Lake Como, sipping wine with Clooney while his tax and fee hikes crush Marylanders. Who needs being governor when you’ve got George!”

What People Are Saying

Abigail Jackson, deputy White House press secretary, said on X: “The crime crisis ravaging your city is no problem at all when you can jet off to an Italy yacht vacation. Unfortunately for residents of Baltimore, this isn’t their reality. Yet, Wes (wannabe President) Moore insists there’s no crime problem and he doesn’t need help!”

Justin Ready, a Maryland state senator, on X: “Italy is a beautiful country but we don’t want the governor using its distinctive shape as a model for new Maryland congressional district lines.”

What Happens Next

The Moore administration defends the trip and says the governor funded it on his own and was able to properly handle his duties while overseas.