At the Cannes Film Festival, Robert De Niro suggested that former President Trump could be comparable to his latest movie role as a real-life murderer and criminal.
De Niro’s latest film "Killers of the Flower Moon" centers around the real-life Osage Indian murders committed in the 1920s after oil was discovered on tribal land. The 79-year-old actor portrays William Hale, the cattle farmer who orchestrated the murders which spurned a years-long FBI investigation until his conviction in 1929.
When discussing the character, De Niro admitted that he didn’t "understand a lot about him" and why he committed the murders. However, he claimed it came about from the "feeling of entitlement" that he linked to Trump.
Robert De Niro, 79, attacked Donald Trump while promoting his latest film "Killers of the Flower Moon." (Dia Dipasupil)
"There’s a feeling of entitlement [that] I guess you could say we became a lot more aware after George Floyd–systemic racism. It’s the banality of evil, and we see it now with — I’m not going to say the name because that guy is stupid," De Niro said. "Imagine if you’re smart. Even Hale was smart in many ways."
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Though he declined to name Trump at the time, De Niro later openly called out the former president in a comment a few moments later.
"It's like with Trump -- I had to say it," De Niro said. "There are people who think he could do a good job. Imagine how insane that is."
De Niro was an outspoken Trump critic during his term in office, often resorting to vulgar language. Most notably, he dropped multiple f-bombs against Trump during a live broadcast of the 2018 Tony Awards.
"I'm gonna say one thing: F--- Trump!" he stated, fists clenched. "It's no longer down with Trump, it's f--- Trump!"
Though CBS managed to censor the word to U.S. viewers, international audiences reportedly heard the whole tirade. During the clip, the celebrity-filled audience cheered De Niro with many standing in applause.
Robert De Niro has used his time on stage to attack Donald Trump at award shows. ((Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images))
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During the 2018 National Board of Review awards gala, months before the Tony Awards, De Niro similarly used his time onstage to reference Trump.
"Today the world is suffering from the real Donald Trump. Come on. You know. What are we talking about? This f---ing idiot is the president. It’s the Emperor’s New Clothes – the guy is a f---ing fool," De Niro said.
He added, "Our baby-in-chief – the j---off-in-chief, I call him – has put the press under siege, ridiculing it through trying to discredit it through outrageous attacks and lies."
In 2020, De Niro also attacked Trump supporters, stating that he cannot understand why they would vote a certain way.
TFF co-founder Robert De Niro attends the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, Jury Awards hosted by Chloe Wine Collection at BMCC Tribeca PAC on April 26, 2018 in New York City. (Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
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"I’m not like political, but I was so angry and so enraged and confounded that he would actually behave the way he did and that people bought it," De Niro said on MSNBC. "Now I see many, many, many people in the country feel this way. I’m sad about other people who don’t. They’ve accepted him and would have voted for him and have voted for him. I don’t know why. That’s all that it was from the very beginning. Just how could this guy behave this way? That’s all."
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