The political back-and-forth between President Donald Trump and Robert De Niro has been building for nearly a decade.
After years of back and forth, the war of words between Trump and actor De Niro reached a fever pitch when the president launched a sharp attack on the Oscar-winning actor following his emotional public criticisms around Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address. The exchange is the latest chapter in a clash between the two public figures that stretches back years.
Keep scrolling for a full run-down of their long-standing feud:
Robert De Niro’s Emotional Podcast Appearance About President Donald Trump
President Trump Says 'Deranged' Robert De Niro Should Leave the Country
Robert De Niro spoke candidly about the political divide in the United States during a February 2026 appearance on MS NOW’s “The Best People” podcast, placing blame squarely on President Donald Trump.
“Trump is the enemy of this country, let’s not kid ourselves. It’s that simple,” the Godfather star claimed to host Nicolle Wallace. “Everybody has to stick together to get them out and get back on track. We can all argue and fight about our little differences and all that. This is the big problem.”
De Niro then became emotional as he explained why unity matters during what he described as trying times.
“You have to lift people up,” he said while fighting back tears. “You have to bring them together, period. You can’t divide people. You can’t win that way.”
De Niro added that it’s up to the people to be the ones to advocate for change.
“It’s almost like destiny to have this thing there, attempting to destroy this country, and maybe not even understanding why. So it’s up to us to protect the country,” he shared. “We have to save the country.”
President Donald Trump Fires Back at Robert De Niro on Truth Social
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social days later to respond to Robert De Niro’s public remarks criticizing his presidency.
“Trump Deranged Robert De Niro [is] another sick and demented person with, I believe, an extremely Low IQ, who has absolutely no idea what he is doing or saying — some of which is seriously CRIMINAL!” Trump wrote at the time. “When I watched him break down in tears last night, much like a child would do, I realized that he may be even sicker than Crazy Rosie O’Donnell, who is right now in Ireland trying to figure out how to come back into our beautiful United States.”
After targeting both O’Donnell and De Niro, Trump turned to boasting about the state of the nation.
“The good news is that America is now Bigger, Better, Richer, and Stronger than ever before, and it’s driving them absolutely crazy!” he concluded.
Trump also called out Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who were vocal with their criticism during the president’s State of the Union address, saying they “should actually get on a boat” and leave the country with De Niro.
Robert De Niro’s ‘State of the Swamp’ Counter-Speech
In President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech in February 2026, he spoke about the state of the economy, claiming it was “roaring like never before.”
Robert De Niro, for his part, gave a speech that same day in counterprogramming, titled “State of the Swamp.” De Niro claimed he felt “betrayed” by his country.
“It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does need to return to the values that gave us our strength and humanity,” he said at the Washington, D.C., event, which was streamed via YouTube. “If you’re devoted to the Constitution and the rule of law, if you want the United States of America to be worthy of your love, be ready to take the streets together, and we will take our country back.”
De Niro is a longtime political advocate fighting for climate change, gay rights and other progressive issues. The actor has been outspoken against Trump since his first presidential term.
A Yearslong Pattern of Clashes
The tension between President Donald Trump and Robert De Niro is nothing new. The two have traded barbs publicly for years.
In an interview with The Guardian published in January 2019, De Niro referred to Trump as racist, a white supremacist and a series of other names.
“I’m older now and I’m just upset about what’s going on,” De Niro explained. “When you see someone like [Trump] becoming president, I thought, Well, OK, let’s see what he does – maybe he’ll change.’ But he just got worse. It showed me that he is a real racist. I thought maybe as a New Yorker he understands the diversity in the city but he’s as bad as I thought he was before – and much worse. It’s a shame. It’s a bad thing in this country.”
Trump had made headlines throughout his presidency for controversial comments, including allegedly using the N-word on the set of The Apprentice before he was elected. During a White House news conference in November 2018, he claimed that he doesn’t “use racist remarks.”
De Niro, who is the father of six mixed-race children, told The Guardian that he worries about how people of different backgrounds are treated under Trump’s presidency. “And one of my kids is gay, and he worries about being treated a certain way,” he explained. “We talk about it.”
When asked by the outlet if he believes Trump is a white supremacist, De Niro “instantly” replied “yes,” according to The Guardian.
“I guess that’s what it leads to,” the two-time Oscar winner continued when asked if Trump is also a fascist. “If he had his way, we’d wind up in a very bad state in this country. I mean, the way I understand it, they laughed at Hitler. They all look funny. Hitler looked funny, Mussolini looked funny, other dictators and despots look funny.”
De Niro added: “He’s a con artist. He’s a huckster. He’s a scam artist. And what bothers me is that people don’t see that. I think that The Apprentice had a lot to do with that, which I never saw but once, maybe. It’s all smoke and mirrors, it’s all bulls***t.”
The Tony Awards Incident
The pair’s public feud reached a particularly memorable flashpoint in June 2018, when Robert De Niro took aim at President Donald Trump during the live broadcast of the Tony Awards.
While introducing a performance by his pal Bruce Springsteen at the awards show, the then-74-year-old Goodfellas actor expressed his feelings toward the president bluntly.
“I wanna say, ‘F*** Trump,'” the Oscar winner exclaimed while many audience members at New York’s Radio City Music Hall stood up and applauded. “It’s no longer ‘Down with Trump,’ it’s ‘F*** Trump.'”
Trump responded via X a few days later.
Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump's Longstanding Feud Explained
“Robert De Niro, a very Low IQ individual, has received to many shots to the head by real boxers in movies,” Trump tweeted. “I watched him last night and truly believe he may be ‘punch-drunk.'”
Trump continued the lengthy rant in a second tweet, writing: “I guess he doesn’t realize the economy is the best it’s ever been with employment being at an all time high, and many companies pouring back into our country. Wake up Punchy!”
De Niro later apologized. While at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Canadian restaurant he was launching with celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa in Toronto later that month, the actor said: “I just want to make a note of apology for the idiotic behavior of my president.”
He continued: “It’s a disgrace. And I apologize to [Canadian Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau and the other people at the G7. It’s disgusting.”
The feud truly began, however, back in October 2016. De Niro, who portrayed Robert Mueller during a Saturday Night Live episode, said he wanted to “punch” Trump in the face.
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