President Donald Trump attacked actor Robert De Niro in a lengthy Truth Social post this week, calling him “sick and demented” and suggesting, without citing evidence, that some of the actor’s comments were “seriously CRIMINAL!”
Trump’s remarks came after De Niro, speaking on Nicolle Wallace’s “The Best People” podcast, urged Americans to “resist” what he described as intimidation and political bullying, warning listeners not to “allow them to intimidate you.” De Niro said he felt anxious, then argued fear should not stop civic action, using a schoolyard analogy to describe power and coercion.
Trump’s post went further than De Niro, folding the actor into a broader rant aimed at Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, whom Trump labeled “lunatics” and said should be sent “back from where they came.” Omar and Tlaib are U.S. citizens. De Niro was born in New York, making any talk of deportation legally baseless under settled constitutional doctrine, though denaturalization can apply in narrow circumstances to some naturalized citizens after criminal findings.
Democratic leaders and civil-rights advocates condemned Trump’s language as xenophobic and racist. Reuters reported House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the comments “disgraceful,” and the Council on American-Islamic Relations denounced them as bigoted. The White House did not immediately release a detailed response addressing the specific “deport” suggestion.
The clash extends a long-running public feud. De Niro has criticized Trump repeatedly in high-profile settings, including a Cannes Film Festival speech last year urging protest against Trump’s cultural policies and proposed film tariff. Trump, in turn, has used Truth Social to target celebrity critics with personal insults, framing their opposition as irrational hostility rather than political disagreement.
