Topline
Former President Donald Trump attacked Robert De Niro on his Truth Social platform early Wednesday, following comments the actor made during a press conference—organized by President Joe Biden’s campaign—outside the Manhattan courthouse where closing arguments in Trump’s hush money trial took place Tuesday.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump returns from a break during his hush money trial at Manhattan … [+]
Key Facts
In his post, Trump called the veteran Hollywood star a “wacko” and said he suffered from “an incurable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
The former president claimed the two-time Oscar winner’s “movies, artistry, and brand have gone WAY DOWN IN VALUE since he entered the political arena” at Biden’s behest.
Referencing De Niro’s clash with Trump supporters outside the courthouse, the former president claimed the actor “was met…with a force far greater than the Radical Left.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump’s account shared a clip of De Niro arguing with a group of the former president’s supporters, saying: “You are gangsters.”
Trump’s comments on Truth Social were made after the former president left the courthouse Tuesday without making any remarks.
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Key Background
In Tuesday’s press conference, De Niro called the former president a “clown” and said New Yorkers tolerated him “when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot…But this person can’t run the country.” The actor said Trump “wants to destroy not only the city, but the country…and eventually, he could destroy the world.” De Niro spoke about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and said Trump directed the mob “to do his dirty work for him.” The actor warned if Trump is reelected, he will be a “tyrant” and added: “We’d forgotten the lessons of history that showed us other clowns who weren’t taken seriously until they became vicious dictators.” In the presser organized by the Biden-Harris campaign, De Niro appeared alongside former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and former D.C. Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone, who responded to Capitol riots.
Tangent
Last week, the Biden campaign released a 30-second attack ad targeting Trump, voiced by De Niro. “From midnight tweets to drinking bleach, to tear-gassing citizens and staging a photo op, we knew Trump was out of control when he was president. Then, he lost the 2020 election and snapped,” the advert said. The actor, who doesn’t appear in the video, then accuses Trump of “desperately trying to hold onto power,” and running again with the intent to rule as a “dictator.” Earlier in the month, De Niro appeared on The View, but parts of the broadcast were muted to censor profanities dished out by the actor while he criticized Trump.
Further Reading
Biden Campaign Finally Uses Trump’s Hush Money Trial To Attack Him—With Robert De Niro (Forbes)