Outside the bustling courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial is in session, a different kind of drama unfolded on the streets of lower Manhattan. Under the guise of a press conference organized by President Joe Biden’s campaign, actor Robert De Niro and two police officers from January 6th made their stance clear on a Trump re-election.
As De Niro delivered his scathing remarks against Trump, branding him a “tyrant,” his words were drowned out by a heckler donning a MAGA hat, who shouted, “You’re washed up!” The taunt seemed to pierce the actor’s composure, starting an exchange that quickly escalated beyond mere words.
“You’re gangsters!” the actor shouted back at the Trump supporters.
However, the heckler’s shouts continued, each one more biting than the last: “You’re trash. Your movies suck. You’re done!” Caught on camera, De Niro’s reaction was visceral. The actor, whose career has spanned decades and earned him numerous accolades, responded with equal intensity, caught in an evident meltdown.
JUST IN: Actor Robert De Niro gets into a shouting match with a guy wearing a MAGA hat across the street from the Trump trial.
De Niro could be seen having a meltdown after a Trump supporter was heard calling him "washed up."
De Niro joined the Biden campaign on Tuesday to… pic.twitter.com/nR7wgTTLBh
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 28, 2024
Fox News carried De Niro’s remarks, showing the 80-year-old actor visibly angry at the prospect of Trump being acquitted by a New York jury. “Do we want him running this country,” the actor said, “and saying, ‘I’m not leaving, I’m dictator for life’?” Speaking in support of a new, anti-Trump ad blitz by the Biden campaign, De Niro said he hopes to remind voters about “what a danger he is to our lives.”
“It’s kind of crazy, it’s really crazy, this thing… Donald Trump has created this. He should be telling them not to do this… he wants to sow total chaos, which he’s succeeding in some areas and places to do,” said De Niro.
Joe Biden and the White House have largely refrained from commenting on the trial, instead dispatching De Niro or elected surrogates to mock Trump for remaining stuck in court while the president travels the country in search of a second four-year term. The stunts have largely been sidelined as visits by high-profile Republican lawmakers in support of the former president have stolen the spotlight, including vice presidential contenders like North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH).
Inside the courtroom, defense attorneys made closing arguments that centered on the lack of reliability by Michael Cohen, a star witness for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Over four days on the stand, Cohen testified that he paid $130,000 to an adult film star to settle rumors of an affair with Trump before the 2016 election. Cross-examination by defense attorney Todd Blanche forced Cohen to revisit the lies before Congress that landed him in prison as well as vague statements about his knowledge around a $420,000 payment to him made by the Trump Organization.
