Veteran actor Robert De Niro delivered a blistering, expletive-laden rebuke of President Trump on Sunday, calling the president a coward and urging Americans to vote early in next month's elections. Speaking at the Hands Off Our Vote rally in New York City, the 83-year-old Oscar winner framed the upcoming midterms as a constitutional showdown over voting rights.
“Power to the people isn't just a slogan — it's the founding principle of our nation, guaranteed by the Constitution,” De Niro said, drawing cheers from the crowd. He warned that “powerful people” who have been empowered by voters are now trying to strip that power away, but he insisted, “Of course we're not” going to let them.
The actor's remarks quickly turned personal. “The Trump administration knows that their policies are not only crazy and cruel — they're increasingly unpopular,” he said, adding with a chuckle, “Well, OK, they are very f—ing stupid. They're stupider than I ever thought.” He accused the administration of trying to suppress turnout because it “can't get support from the voters.”
De Niro led the crowd in a call-and-response chant: “Keep your f—ing hands off our votes.” He aimed the message at Republican lawmakers, the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and even armed ICE agents, whom he described as “thugs” stalking polling places. The actor's fellow celebrities have also been vocal about voting rights, but De Niro's language was notably sharp.
“When that coward, that f—ing piece of s—, Donald Trump, tries to take our voice and power away, what do we tell him? Keep your f—ing hands off our vote!” he exclaimed, then quipped, “I think they got the message.”
De Niro closed his speech with a call to action: “Take back the House. Take back the Senate. Take back the power. Take back our country.” His remarks come as Republicans battle to hold their majorities, and as the Supreme Court faces new clashes over election rules.
De Niro has long been one of Trump's most outspoken Hollywood critics, previously calling him “sadistic” and a “clown.” The president has fired back, labeling De Niro “wacko” and accusing him of suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
The rally underscored the high stakes of the midterms, with control of Congress and the future of voting rights on the line. De Niro's message was clear: “We're going to vote, and we're going to vote early. Then we're going to get our family, friends, neighbors and friendly strangers to also answer the call.”
