Actor Robert De Niro clashed with supporters of former president Donald Trump during a chaotic press conference Tuesday morning in New York City.
After the meeting, De Niro was shown in an intense shouting match with Trump supporters in a video shared to X, formerly Twitter, by CBS news correspondent Matt Pieper. "We are trying to be gentlemen in this world. You are gangsters. You are gangsters!" De Niro shouts at the Trump supporters, as expletives are hurled at him by by the swarming and raucous crowd.
De Niro was appearing on behalf of the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris presidential campaign, just outside the Manhattan court where Trump's closing hush money trial arguments are underway. The former president denies criminal charges of falsifying business documents ahead of the 2016 election.
As the Oscar-winning star walks to his vehicle, Trump supporters continue to hurl insults at De Niro, while security guards push back the angry crowd.
"You're not going to intimidate. That's what Trump does. They try to intimidate. And we're going to fight back!" De Niro says in another video, posted to X by NewsNation's Kristen Eskow.
Newsweek emailed a representative for De Niro for further comment about Tuesday's press conference.
Former Washington, D.C., police officer Michael Fanone and former Capitol police officer Harry Dunn joined De Niro and spoke of their personal experiences in the January 6 Capitol riot. Fanone described his injuries suffered at the hands of the mob of Trump supporters seeking to halt Congress' certification of Biden's 2020 presidential victory.
De Niro consistently faced interruptions from Trump supporters on the scene in Manhattan. A honking horn in the background also drowned out portions of De Niro's remarks.
One Trump supporter called the January 6 Capitol police officers "traitors" who "lied under oath. De Niro fired back: "I don't even know how to deal with you, my friend. I don't even know how to deal with you!"
After appearing at a press conference with the Biden campaign outside Manhattan criminal court, actor Robert De Niro sparred with pro-Trump protesters: pic.twitter.com/QcIiQWQ3y6
— Kristen Eskow (@KristenEskow) May 28, 2024
At the end of his remarks outside the courthouse, another Trump supporter shouted that Dunn and Fanone were "traitors."
De Niro then replied, "They stood there. They didn't have to. They stood there and fought for us. They fought for you, buddy. You're able to stand right here. They are the true heroes. I'm honored to be with these two heroes today."
De Niro added that the former President wants to "sow total chaos," and people in the crowd screamed "f*** you" as the actor continued speaking.
"If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye, that we all take for granted," De Niro said. "If he gets in... he will never leave."
"I don't mean to scare you. No, wait, maybe I do mean to scare you," De Niro told reporters. "If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye that we all take for granted."
"I love this city. I don't want to destroy it," De Niro added. "Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country, and, eventually, he could destroy the world."
De Niro also called Trump a "two-bit playboy."
"Donald Trump doesn't belong in my city. We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot," the actor said. "A two-bit playboy lying his way into the tabloids. He's a clown. But this person can't run the country. That does not work, and we all know that."
Tuesday's press conference marked a notable turn for the Biden campaign, which has largely dismissed the hush money trial since it began six weeks ago.
"We're not here today because of what's going on over there," Biden campaign communication director Michael Tyler told reporters before the press conference, gesturing toward the courthouse. "We're here today because you all are here."
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, took aim at De Niro's appearance on Tuesday morning.
"Don't worry, my remarks will be shorter than The Irishman," Miller said, referencing De Niro's three-plus hour Netflix movie. "The best that Biden can do is roll out a washed-up actor."
De Niro was nominated for the 2024 Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar in Killers of the Flower Moon, which grossed $157 million worldwide, according to multiple sources.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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