Robert De Niro has never been one to shy away from a fight.
The Cape Feare legend has a history of playing tough guys on the screen, and he’s just as unafraid to stand up for himself in reality too, if the last few days are anything to go by.
Yesterday, the actor gave a speech at a press conference outside the steps of the Manhattan courthouse in which Donald Trump was being tried for falsifying business records. The former president is alleged to have listed various expenses as legal fees when they were in fact payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, in exchange for her remaining quiet about an affair the pair had in the mid-2000s, while Trump’s wife Melania was pregnant with their son Barron. This is why the trial is being referred to as a “hush money trial,” even though paying hush money isn’t illegal.
The press conference was hosted by the Joe Biden campaign for re-election, and De Niro used his platform to pledge his support for Trump’s opponent. As he was leaving the courthouse steps to get to his car, a number of pro-Trump protesters accosted him. Some of the insults they hurled were “wannabe,” and that he was a “paid sell-out” who had been bought by the Democratic National Committee. He was also labelled a “nobody” whose “movies suck.”
De Niro is among the most decorated actors of all time, and his films have grossed billions. He recently earned a ninth Academy Award nomination for his role in Killers of the Flower Moon. To be fair, Donald Trump was in Home Alone 2, so in that sense they’ve both appeared in at least one good film.
De Niro responded to the childish insults with a surprising amount of restraint, telling the brash Trump supporters:
“You’re not going to intimidate…That’s what Trump does. … We are going to fight back. We’re trying to be gentlemen in this world, the Democrats. You are gangsters. You are gangsters!”
He then added “F*** you,” to another pro-Trump protestor who shouted at him, which was probably a lot more satisfying than eloquently calling them out for their intimidation tactics.
In 2019 Biden defeated Trump in the popular vote and via the electoral college, leading to the former Apprentice star inciting his followers to attack the Capitol building. Trump continues to allege the election was “stolen” from him, despite there being no solid evidence to back up the claim. There is, however, a lot of evidence backing up various crimes that Trump has been involved in, from the previously mentioned insurrection attempt to various counts of sexual assault and even more of business fraud. Then there’s the crimes against hygiene he’s said to be committing on a daily basis…
One fan did yell that he loved De Niro in Taxi Driver, showing there are some people who still have their priorities right.