Actor Robert De Niro speaks in support of President Biden outside of Manhattan Criminal Court as former President Trump attends his criminal trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments in New York City, on May 28, 2024. Trump arrived Tuesday for closing arguments in his New York hush money trial ahead of the jury deciding whether to make him the first criminally convicted former president and current White House hopeful in history. (Photo by Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
De Niro was shouted at by protesters at the start of the press conference, before a car horn began blaring. The actor argued that Trump does not “belong” in New York City, citing he “wants to destroy” the city and the nation.
“Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city, but the country. And eventually he could destroy the world,” he said.
Former President Trump sits in the courtroom during his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on May 21, 2024. After approximately five weeks, 19 witnesses, reams of documents and a dash of salacious testimony, the prosecution against the former president rested its case on May 21, 2024, handing over to the defense before closing arguments expected next week. (Michael M. Santiago/PoolAFP via Getty Images)
“I owe this city a lot. And that’s why it’s so weird that Donald Trump is just across the street because he doesn’t belong in my city. I don’t know where he belongs, but he certainly doesn’t belong here. We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot,” De Niro added.
The actor recently provided his voice for a Biden-Harris campaign ad dubbed, “Snapped,” that slammed Trump as “out of control” and “threatening to be a ‘dictator’ to terminate the constitution.”
TRUMP PREVIEWS CLOSING ARGUMENTS IN ‘SHAM TRIAL’: ‘VERY DANGEROUS DAY FOR AMERICA’
Trump is facing the end of his trial in Manhattan, where he faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors are working to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former pornographic star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.
The Trump campaign held a separate press conference Tuesday, following the Biden campaign’s presser with De Niro, where Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller slammed De Niro as a “washed up actor.”
“Joe Biden is losing nationally, he’s losing in every single battleground state. And President Trump’s numbers continue to rise, the best that Biden can do is roll out a washed up actor. And don’t worry, my remarks will be shorter than ‘The Irishman.’ I won’t make you suffer for three hours, but the best they can do is roll out a washed up actor,” Miller said, referring to De Niro’s three and a half hour movie “The Irishman.”
Following the press conference, De Niro was confronted by protesters, who slammed the actor as “trash” and told him “you’re washed up.”
Trump said Tuesday in comments to the media that Tuesday marks a “dangerous day for America” as the defense and prosecution teams make their closing arguments to the jury.
Former President Trump and his lawyer Emil Bove watch as Michael Cohen is questioned by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger during Trump’s criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City on May 14, 2024 in this courtroom sketch.
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