Robert De Niro, an Oscar-winning actor known for his outspoken criticism of former President Donald Trump, labeled Trump as “evil” in a speech that was shared with attendees of The New Republic’s Stop Trump Summit in New York City. De Niro had intended to deliver the speech in person but was unable to do so after testing positive for COVID-19. Instead, former Trump administration official Miles Taylor read the statement on his behalf.
In the speech, De Niro expressed his perspective on Trump, stating, “I’ve spent a lot of time studying bad men…I’ve examined their characteristics, their mannerisms, the utter banality of their cruelty. Yet there’s something different about Donald Trump. When I look at him, I don’t see a bad man. Truly. I see an evil one.”
De Niro continued to describe Trump as a “wannabe tough guy with no morals or ethics” and someone with no sense of right or wrong, as well as no regard for anyone other than himself. He emphasized that Trump had contempt for the people he was supposed to lead and protect, his business associates, his loyal followers, and even his friends.
The actor also referred to Trump’s past as a real estate mogul in New York, where De Niro claimed that people got to know Trump and saw how he “poisoned the atmosphere” and constructed monuments to his ego. De Niro said that New Yorkers tried to warn the world about Trump in 2016.
De Niro’s speech elicited a range of reactions on social media. Many users praised his critique of Trump, with some commending his words as “brilliant” and expressing the view that Trump should never be voted back into office. Others, however, criticized De Niro’s long history of negative statements about Trump and found his remarks offensive.
De Niro has been a vocal critic of Trump throughout the former president’s time in office and beyond.
