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Legendary actor Robert De Niro delivered a hard-hitting message aimed at former President Donald Trump during The New Republic's "Stop Trump Summit" in New York City. De Niro was not physically present at the event due to his recovery from COVID-19. Instead, he had former Trump administration official Miles Taylor read his remarks to the audience.
In his message, De Niro made a passionate case, drawing on his extensive experience playing various film roles, including gangsters and criminals. The essence of his message was that Donald Trump is not merely a bad figure but an evil one.
You can hear DeNiro's on-point speech in the video below.
DeNiro wrote:
"Over the years, I’ve met gangsters here and there. This guy tries to be one, but he can’t quite pull it off. There’s such a thing as 'honor among thieves.' Yes, even criminals usually have a sense of right and wrong. Whether they do the right thing or not is a different story — but — they have a moral code, however warped."
"Donald Trump does not."
"He’s a wannabe tough guy with no morals or ethics. No sense of right or wrong. No regard for anyone but himself — not the people he was supposed to lead and protect, not the people he does business with, not the people who follow him, blindly and loyally, not even the people who consider themselves his 'friends.'"
"He has contempt for all of them."
DeNiro pointed out that New Yorkers have known who Trump really is for decades because "he poisoned the atmosphere and littered our city with monuments to his ego." The actor added that New Yorkers "knew first hand that this was someone who should never be considered for leadership" and felt it was their duty to "warn" the country in 2016.
He observed that "the repercussions of [Trump's] turbulent presidency divided America and rattled New York City beyond imagination" and acknowledged the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the Trump administration's failed response:
"Remember how we were jolted by crisis in early 2020, as a virus swept the world. We lived with Donald Trump’s bombastic behavior every day on the national stage, and we suffered as we saw our neighbors piling up in body bags."
"The man who was supposed to protect this country put it in peril, because of his recklessness and impulsiveness. It was like an abusive father ruling the family by fear and violent behavior. That was the consequence of New York’s warning getting ignored. Next time, we know it will be worse."
DeNiro said Trump, who was twice impeached, is "still a fool." But he nonetheless warned Americans that evil "thrives in the shadow of dismissive mockery, which is why we must take the danger of Donald Trump very seriously."
Americans have one "last chance" to save their democracy, he said, because it "won’t survive the return of a wannabe dictator" and it "won’t overcome evil if we are divided."
He then offered the following course of action:
"We have to reach out to the half of our country who have ignored the hazards of Trump and, for whatever reason, support elevating him back into the White House. They’re not stupid, and we must not condemn them for making a stupid choice. Our future doesn’t just depend on us. It depends on them."
"Let’s reach out to Trump’s followers with respect. Let’s not talk about 'democracy.' 'Democracy' may be our holy grail, but to others it is just a word, a concept, and in their embrace of Trump, they’ve already turned their backs on it."
He concluded:
"Let’s talk about right and wrong. Let’s talk about humanity. Let’s talk about kindness."
"Security for our world. Safety for our families. Decency. Let’s welcome them back."
"We won’t get them all, but we can get enough to end the nightmare of Trump, and fulfill the mission of this 'Stop Trump Summit.'"
Many concurred with DeNiro's remarks.
De Niro's outspoken criticism of Trump has been a consistent feature in his public appearances.
While some may argue that actors should refrain from expressing strong political opinions, De Niro has not shied away from using his platform to condemn what he has seen as a peril to society.
During Trump's presidency, DeNiro said America was “being run by a madman who wouldn’t recognize the truth if it came inside a bucket of his beloved Colonel Sanders Fried Chicken.”
During the 2016 presidential campaign, De Niro referred to Trump as "blatantly stupid" and went to describe him as "a mutt who doesn’t know what he’s talking about, doesn’t do his homework, doesn’t care, thinks he’s gaming society, doesn’t pay his taxes.”
Earlier this year, he said Trump represents "the banality of evil," drawing a comparison between Trump and William Hale, the murderous character DeNiro plays in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon.