Actor Robert De Niro Rips Into Trump Once More, Calls ‘Idiot’ President ‘Appalling And So Corrupt’
Veteran actor Robert De Niro reminded people that he is clearly not a fan of Donald Trump as he launched another verbal attack on the U.S. president. De Niro was at a charity event in Los Angeles on Tuesday when he tore into Trump, who also happened to be in the same state for his first visit since being elected president.
De Niro was giving a speech in honor of Fulfillment Fund co-founders Cherna and Dr. Gary Gitnick when he called Trump an “idiot” and said he would not stop speaking up against the president, according to Variety.
The Hollywood legend was a special guest at the event celebrating the Gitnicks, whose advocacy for the last 40 years has been to improve education. They founded the charitable organization to help provide support to underprivileged children in order for them to achieve higher education.
In his speech, De Niro pointed out that good education is important, but not enough. The Academy Award winner then used Trump as an example of what he was trying to say.
“A college education is important, but education without humanity is ignorance. Look at your president. He made it through [the] University of Pennsylvania, so he was exposed to quality education, but he’s still an idiot. And he lacks any sense of humanity or compassion,” De Niro said.
Robert De Niro rips Trump during education speech, says president is an "idiot" who "treats education as a con" https://t.co/ubt78VQbdf pic.twitter.com/NBvlGhr2Q5
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) March 15, 2018
De Niro also had a possible explanation as to why Trump lacks “humanity or compassion.” After the crowd started to boo upon hearing Trump’s name, De Niro said, “No don’t boo baby. This is for real. We have to do something about it, sorry.”
“He lacks any sense of humanity or compassion. Of course, he did have to overcome the curse of growing up rich and spoiled and endure the heartbreak of bone spurs, maybe that had an effect.”
De Niro was alluding to the medical deferment, which Trump used to avoid going to Vietnam. Trump received deferments five times, citing education and bone spurs in his heels as the reasons why the president was able to dodge the draft.
The Taxi Driver star does not shy away from using colorful words to criticize Trump. While talking at the National Board Review Annual Awards Gala in January, De Niro called “baby in chief” Trump a “f**ing idiot,” and a “f**ing fool,” the Hill reported.
In August of 2017, De Niro described Trump as a “flat-out blatant racist” who is “dangerous as it is” but would “be even more dangerous” “if he was smart,” according to New York Daily News.
Before that, De Niro launched a tirade against Trump through a video released online. In the video seen here, De Niro said he would “like to punch Trump in the face.”
“A college education is important, but education without humanity is ignorance," De Niro said https://t.co/kzQ9DM8SPU
— Page Six (@PageSix) March 15, 2018
De Niro started his speech by praising the efforts of the Gitnicks and their foundation to further the quality and reach of education. When he started talking about Trump, he explained that he didn’t want to turn the Fulfillment Fund event into a political circus, but said he felt he has to address the current political turmoil every chance he gets.
“Now I’m not trying to turn this non-political event into a political one, but as long as our country’s leadership is so appalling and so corrupt, I’ll be speaking out at every venue,” De Niro said.
“To be silent in the face of such villainy is to be complicit, and it’s especially appropriate tonight because Trump treats education as a con, a way to make profit at the expense of the suckers.”
De Niro then asked the crowd if anybody was planning on enrolling at Trump University. As the crowd laughed, he told them not to be discouraged and to study instead in “a legitimate institution.”
“You don’t have to become president. You can get an honest job or become president and restore integrity and dignity to the job of being president. In stark contrast to the Trump world of dishonesty and greed, tonight we celebrate generosity and devotion to service,” De Niro said.
De Niro was met with a standing ovation at the conclusion of his speech.
