Robert De Niro hasn’t changed his unfavorable opinion of Donald Trump.
During a kickoff luncheon for this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which De Niro co-founded in 2002, the Oscar-winning actor took more jabs at POTUS while addressing a crowd of journalists.
According to Deadline, De Niro specifically pointed to Trump’s behavior toward the press as well as his constant cries of “fake news.”
“The country has had a bad year, and you—the press—have taken a lot of hits. America is being run by a madman who wouldn’t recognize the truth if it came inside a bucket of his beloved Colonel Sanders Fried Chicken,” the 74-year-old said. “[…] Your job is difficult enough without being attacked by our Lowlife-in-Chief. The press has done an admirable job this past year. We’re looking at journalists as our saviors, in the same way we used to look at our political leaders.”
But make no mistake, De Niro didn’t spend his entire speech bashing Trump. He also spoke about positive, less polarizing topics, such as the celebration of diversity.
Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal echoed De Niro’s statements, while underscoring the festival’s commitment to inclusiveness.
“It’s a cruel irony that today’s leaders are deaf to our message. When we work to break down barriers, they’re working to erect exclusionary walls. While we open our arms to artist and thinkers from all over the world, they’re narrowing the definition of America,” Rosenthal said in her speech. “While we see exciting, rich creative opportunities in our rich melting pot, their greed and arrogant self interest blinds them to the essential benefits of diversity.”
