Robert De Niro Makes First Public Appearance After Calling Donald Trump a 'Monster'

Robert De Niro has been a staunch Donald Trump critic and in a recent interview, he called him a 'monster' in response to the former President's inflamed rhetoric. The acting legend stepped out for the first time and was spotted in Manhattan, NYC, since passing these comments about Trump. De Niro was photographed wearing a beanie, scarf, and a pair of khakis.

"It's about right and wrong. Period," said De Niro last Thursday, May 3, on MSNBC's The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle. "The guy's a monster. It's beyond wrong. It's almost like he wants to do the most horrible things he can think of to get…a rise out of us. I don't know what it is, but it's f***ing scary," the actor vented. Meanwhile, the twice impeached former President is currently facing 34 felony counts as part of his hush money trial for allegedly falsifying financial records to hide a whopping $130,000 paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels, ahead of the 2016 elections.

The Godfather actor maintained his thoughts on Trump and warned people of a 'sick' man taking over the American democracy, again. "I don't think they understand how dangerous it will be if he ever, God forbid, becomes President [again]. I don't think they really understand," he continued. De Niro also pointed out Trump's likeness to Adolf Hitler. He asserted, "...Historically, from what I see, in Nazi Germany, they had it with Hitler. They don't take him seriously. Looks like a clown. Acts like a clown. Mussolini, same thing. These guys, I don't know why, they look like clowns. Somehow people, that element of society, identifies with them." 

The 80-year-old also advised President Joe Biden to assert himself against Trump. "Go at [Trump]. People take notice when you do that." At one point, he even asked the Democrat to 'punch' his Republican rival in the face (not literally, of course). "...Go at him. A bully you punch in the face. [The] trouble with Trump is he's not just a bully, he's a stupid bully." 

The Hollywood veteran made more searing remarks about Trump during the latest episode of Real Time with Bill Maher in March 2024 and shared his unfiltered thoughts about a possible rematch between Biden and Trump in November. "We wanna live in a world that we want to live in and enjoy living in, or live in a nightmare?" De Niro asked.

He urged Americans, "Vote for Trump and you’ll get the nightmare, vote for Biden and we’ll be back to normalcy," The Hollywood Reporter reported. "I just don't want to feel the way I did the many months after the election in 2016, where we couldn't believe that it happened." The Killers of the Moon star declared, "He's such a mean, nasty, hateful person." Meanwhile, he also dismissed the idea of ever playing Trump on screen, citing, "[I] can't see any good in him. Nothing, nothing at all, nothing redeemable."