De Niro also compared Trump to the murderous villain in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. In the new movie, which had its world premiere this weekend at Cannes, De Niro plays William Hale, a cattle baron who was convicted in 1929 of murdering a member of the Osage nation over oil rights.
The actor told reporters that evil still exists in the world, and former president Trump is a manifestation of it.
“We see it today, of course. We all know who I’m going to talk about but I won’t say the name — because that guy is stupid. Imagine if you’re smart. Even Hale was smart in many ways. It’s something that is systemic, and that’s the scary part about it.”
Later, he reportedly added: “Look, with Trump, there are people who still think he can do a good job. Imagine how insane that is.”
Killers of the Flower Moon, which was co-financed by Paramount and Apple, is set to open in cinemas in October before a streaming debut on Apple TV+ whose date has yet to be announced.
The movie, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Lilly Gladstone, is based on the non-fiction bestseller by David Grann that recounts the murders of Osage Indians in Oklahoma during the 1920s over control of their oil rights.
During the Trump administration, Robert De Niro frequently expressed his personal hatred of the president, often using profanity.
As reported, the actor yelled “Fuck Trump!” multiple times on stage at the Tony Awards in 2018. His verbal harangue elicited a standing ovation from the audience.
