Robert De Niro’s outspoken criticism of Donald Trump hit a fever pitch at the anti-Trump rally in New York City on Thursday.
Taking his place at the podium, the critically acclaimed actor blasted the U.S. President-elect as “a bad example of this country.” Ever the showman, De Niro started his speech with a little humour: “I’m very happy to be here tonight with all of you and all of my overrated friends,” referencing Trump calling Meryl Streep “overrated” in a tweet.
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“I want to read a few tweets to you. I know you haven’t heard them because they won’t be sent until later, in the middle of the night,” he continued before breaking into a series of parody Trump tweets.
“First: ‘De Niro’s career is a disaster. He was passed over for ‘Godfather 4’ and ‘Magnificent Seven’. Pathetic!'” De Niro joked. “Another tweet: ‘De Niro should give back his Oscars. Voting was rigged. There’s only one true Raging Bull and that is Vladimir Putin.'”
The 73-year-old actor’s speech then took on a more serious tone: “Just like our Founding Fathers, you can love our country and not love everything about it,” De Niro said. “That’s understandable. You can love your city, as I do, and not love everything about it either. That may have been what I was thinking about when I said I wish you-know-who would leave this city. I don’t care where he goes, I just never thought he’d go to Washington. He’s a bad example of this country, this city.”
De Niro further criticized Trump’s stance on immigration: “These huddled masses yearning to breathe free built our country and our lifeblood of our strong, diverse, beautiful New York City. They gave us the strength to prosper in the mid-70s when the government sent us the message to drop dead. They gave us the strength to recover after the tragedy of 9/11. Now they’re giving us the strength to persevere in the face of the promises of the incoming government.”
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Addressing the large audience on Thursday, which was scheduled to feature appearances from stars like Alec Baldwin, Mark Ruffalo and Michael Moore, the “Taxi Driver” star continued: “We’re all rooting for the new administration, of course, to abandon the divisive, racist, misogynist, ignorant plans it’s trumpeting and lead us with intelligence and compassion. Whatever happens, we Americans, we New Yorkers, we patriots, will stand united for our rights and the rights of our fellow citizens.”
Cher was also present at the rally, taking centre stage and calling the soon-to-be president an “unbelievable narcissist.”
The “Believe” singer first discussed her roots: “I won’t introduce myself. I’m an elitist lib-tard,” she said. “I’m an elitist lib-tard whose grandmother picked cotton, whose mother sang on bars when she was eight years old during the Depression. … I want to tell you who I am so I can tell you what I believe.”
She added: “I have been accused by these people of being so many things, but I understand how the people were so desperate to pick this man, this unbelievable narcissist who could change the face of our world if we let him. The only thing that will save us is you. The only thing that can save us is you.”
You can watch the event here.
