The Beef Between Donald Trump And Robert De Niro Explained

For years, Robert De Niro has made his low opinion of Donald Trump crystal clear. It was not a shocker for fans when the "Raging Bull" star took aim at Trump while speaking at the 2023 Gotham Awards in November. "The former president lied to us more than 30,000 times during his four years in office," De Niro said during his speech, which he claimed had been edited on the teleprompter to omit the portion about disliking Trump. "But with all his lies, he can't hide his soul," De Niro added. The comments did not go unnoticed by the one-time president, who fired back at the actor in a strongly-worded post on Truth Social on December 3. "Robert De Niro ... with his reputation now shot, must even use a teleprompter for his foul and disgusting language," Trump wrote. "De Niro should focus on his life, which is a mess. ... He has become a total loser, as the World watches, waits, and laughs!"

De Niro and Trump had exchanged barbs in the past, with the "Goodfellas" star bashing the businessman-turned-politician even before he was in office. In October 2016, De Niro recorded a video for the #VoteYourFuture campaign, and although it was deemed too spicy to be used, the footage was still released. "I mean, he's so blatantly stupid," De Niro said about the presidential candidate. "Well, I'd like to punch him in the face," he added. That was only one of many incendiary comments De Niro made about Trump through the years.

Robert De Niro attracted the ire of Donald Trump in 2018 after the A-lister bashed the then-president at multiple awards shows. When presenting Meryl Streep with the best actress award at the National Board of Review Awards, De Niro chose to use the platform to talk politics. "This f***ing idiot is the president," he said about Trump in January 2018, per CBS News. "It's 'The Emperor's New Clothes' — the guy is a f***ing fool," the "Casino" star added.

Later that year, De Niro again shared several four-letter words when speaking about the then-president. "It's no longer 'Down with Trump,' it's 'f*** Trump,'" De Niro said while presenting Bruce Springsteen at the Tony Awards in June 2018. Those harsh words caught the attention of Trump, who shared a theory about De Niro on X, formerly Twitter. "Robert De Niro, a very Low IQ individual, has received to many shots to the head by real boxers in movies," Trump tweeted in June 2018. Trump added that De Niro had missed how well the economy had performed with him in office. "Wake up Punchy!" Trump wrote.

The following year, the "Heat" star shared his fears about Trump doing anything to stay in power. Speaking to The Independent in November 2019, De Niro suggested that if Trump were re-elected, he may start a war to remain in office. Even when Trump was out of office, De Niro continued to bash him.

Even when Robert De Niro was unable to attend an event to speak against Donald Trump, he still made sure his words were heard. When "The Stop Trump Summit" was held by The New Republic magazine in October, De Niro had been scheduled to speak but could not due to health issues. The "Mean Streets" actor sent a statement which was read on the air by Miles Taylor. De Niro said Trump reminded him of despotic rulers who had been in power at different stages of society. "When I look at him, I don't see a bad man. Truly. I see an evil one," De Niro's statement read. "This guy tries to be [a gangster], but he can't quite pull it off ... he's a wannabe tough guy with no morals or ethics. No sense of right or wrong," he added.

A few months later, De Niro shared how nervous he was as Trump became the frontrunner nominee for the Republican party in the upcoming election. "And my biggest concern now, with everything else, is us getting out of this situation with a monster in Trump," the actor told Rolling Stone in December 2023 when asked about his tumultuous year, which included a headline-making lawsuit with a former assistant. "Now, this guy is beyond dangerous, and I just hope people can realize it," De Niro added about Trump.