Robert De Niro gave an emotional speech urging people to “resist” US President Donald Trump and his administration.
The Oscar winner, who is an ardent critic of the current president, appeared on news channel MS NOW to speak about his feelings regarding recent events in the US. “The story is our country, and Trump is destroying it, and who knows what his reasons are, but it’s sick, it’s fucked up,” he said. “We have to save this country.”
“You have to — you have to lift people up,” the actor said with his voice cracking, adding: “You have to bring them together. You can’t divide people, you can’t win that way.” You can watch the interview below.
Becoming more emotional, he continued: “It’s a no-win situation, and look what we have, look who we have there, it’s almost like a destiny to have this thing there, destroying… attempting to destroy this country and maybe not even understanding why. So it’s up to us to protect the country.”
When asked how, he replied: “All I know is people have to have to resist, resist, resist. There’s no easy way. It’s not going to come to you easy. You know, there’s a time when you know in your own life and your own survival, you better do this. You better jump and run through the fire because if you don’t run through the fire, you’re not getting out, and that’s what we have to do.”
Robert De Niro has spoken many times about his disdain for Trump, whose two terms as president have seen divisive policies on immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and health care. In October, he encouraged his country to “keep fighting” after the nationwide No Kings protest, saying: “There’s no other way to face a bully. You have to face him and fight it out”.
That same month, Trump’s chief of staff, Stephen Miller, responded to the actor calling him a “Nazi” by calling him a “broken old man”.