“Raging Bull” star Robert De Niro took a number of shots at Donald Trump, then went a few rounds with MAGA loyalists, before closing arguments began in the former president’s lower Manhattan criminal trial on Tuesday.
“We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another crappy real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot,” De Niro said at a press conference outside 100 Centre Street. “I love this city. I don’t want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city, but the country. And eventually he could destroy the world.”
The 80-year-old Manhattan native arrived outside the courthouse with members of President Biden’s reelection team. He was also flanked by former police officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn, who risked their lives to stop violent Trump supporters from harming elected officials certifying the 2020 presidential election inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Biden’s team had largely steered clear of Trump’s legal issues prior to Tuesday’s event. Trump has repeatedly attempted to connect his political adversary to the myriad charges brought against him since he reluctantly left the White House after being defeated by more than 7 million votes.
Trump campaign staffers held a dueling rally in lower Manhattan Tuesday. The former president’s senior campaign adviser, Jason Miller, said the presence of Biden’s team, along with a “washed-up actor,” proves Democrats are using Trump’s legal woes as opportunities to score political points.
Donald Trump Jr., also blasted his father’s antagonists, including De Niro, for showing up on what was expected to be the final full day of Trump’s nearly seven-week trial.
“Apparently [De Niro] needs attention because it’s been a while since he’s cranked out a good movie,” Trump Jr. said, claiming Biden has lost his appeal among A-list celebrities.
De Niro was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his work in 2023’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which received 10 Academy Award nominations earlier this year.
Trump loyalists — many sporting red and white “Make America Great Again” regalia — shouted at De Niro as his address to spectators and the media wound down.
“You’re washed up,” one random MAGA fanatic howled at the two-time Academy Award winner.
“F–k you,” De Niro replied to some of the people he earlier described as “self-styled patriots” who attempted to subvert the democratic process.
Security guards surrounded De Niro as he made his way to a waiting SUV.
“You’re not going to intimidate,” the “Goodfellas” star told hecklers who followed him to his vehicle. “That’s what Trump does… you are gangsters!”
De Niro’s contempt for Trump is well-known. He has referred to the reality TV star-turned-politician as “blatantly stupid, “a punk,” “a pig,” “a bulls–t artist” and “an idiot” during public addresses.
De Niro once compared the way he felt after Trump became president to his feelings following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack that left thousands dead near the actor’s Tribeca neighborhood.
Trump previously called De Niro “a very Low IQ individual” in a tweet no longer online. He also accused him of having “received to (sic) many shots to the head” from starring in 1980’s “Raging Bull, which won De Niro an Oscar for his portrayal of professional boxer Jake LaMotta.
With News Wire Services
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