Robert De Niro warned that if Trump returns to the White House, Americans could see their civil liberties vanish and the end of democratic elections.
On Tuesday, actor Robert De Niro referred to Donald Trump as a “clown” determined to undermine American democracy outside the New York City courtroom where Trump’s hush money trial is taking place.
De Niro, a long-time Democrat who recently voiced an ad for President Joe Biden, attended a Biden campaign event near the Manhattan courtroom. He was accompanied by two former law enforcement officers, Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone, who were present at the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters.
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These remarks are part of the Biden campaign’s strategy to leverage the extensive media coverage of Trump’s trial to highlight their message that Trump poses a threat to democracy.
Trump’s campaign dismissed the event as a publicity stunt.
Reflecting on Trump’s 2016 presidential run, Academy Award winner De Niro noted that Trump’s candidacy was initially dismissed as a joke.
“We’ve forgotten the lessons of history that warned us about other clowns who weren’t taken seriously until they became vicious dictators,” De Niro said. “With Trump, we have a second chance, and no one is laughing now. This is the time to stop him by voting him out once and for all.”
De Niro warned that if Trump returns to the White House, Americans could see their civil liberties vanish and the end of democratic elections.
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“If he gets in, I can tell you right now, he will never leave,” De Niro stated.
Fanone and Dunn also spoke, sharing emotional accounts of the Capitol violence fueled by Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The speakers faced heckling from a Trump supporter, while pro-Trump demonstrators chanted in the background.
Trump campaign officials characterized the De Niro event as a sign of desperation from the Biden camp. Spokesman Steven Cheung said the Biden camp was in “complete freakout mode” due to Trump’s continued resilience despite multiple criminal cases.
“Joe Biden is losing nationally,” said Trump spokesperson Jason Miller. “President Trump’s numbers continue to rise. And the best that Biden can do is roll out a washed-up actor.”
A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week indicated the two men are effectively tied among registered voters.
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In his sharpest remarks, De Niro criticized Trump through the perspective of New Yorkers who have long known and rejected him.
“We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler pretending to be a big shot, a two-bit playboy lying his way into the tabloids,” De Niro said. “A clown… No one took him seriously. They take him seriously now.”