Donald Trump Takes Aim at 'Total Loser' Robert De Niro

Donald Trump has taken aim at actor Robert De Niro over his speech at the Gotham Awards for film, branding the actor "unwatchable" and a "mess."

On November 27, De Niro appeared on stage at the Italian restaurant Cipriani in New York to present the Gotham Historical Icon & Creator Tribute award—which spotlights authentic storytelling and significant moments in cinema—to the cast of Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon.

The western crime drama focuses on the murders of Osage Nation members in 1920s Oklahoma, with De Niro starring alongside Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brendan Fraser and Jesse Plemons.

However, De Niro's speech included a few barbs for the former president, with the 80-year-old actor accusing Trump of spreading misinformation. Newsweek has reached out to Robert De Niro and Donald Trump for comment via email on Monday.

"History isn't history anymore. Truth is not truth," De Niro told the audience. "Even facts are being replaced by 'alternative facts.'

"Lying has become just another tool in the charlatans' arsenal," the star added.

De Niro said that Trump "lied to us more than 30,000 times during his four years in office."

"He's keeping up the pace in his current campaign of retribution," the actor added. "But, with all his lies, he can't hide his soul."

DeNiro referenced the time Trump called Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas" during a White House event honoring Native Americans in 2017. The business mogul has used the nickname several times throughout his feud with the Massachusetts senator, who has claimed to have Native American ancestry.

"He attacks the weak, destroys the gifts of nature, and shows disrespect. For example, by using 'Pocahontas' as a slur,'" De Niro said.

Taking to Truth Social—the social network Trump launched after being banned from Twitter—on Sunday, the 77-year-old blasted De Niro's acting abilities and recent court case, filed by his former assistant Graham Chase Robinson.

De Niro's production company, Canal Productions, was found liable for gender discrimination and retaliation by the Manhattan Federal Court on November 10, with Robinson awarded $1.264 million in damages.

"Robert De Niro, whose acting talents have greatly diminished, with his reputation now shot, must even use a teleprompter for his foul and disgusting language," Trump wrote.

"So disrespectful to our Country. He has become unwatchable both in movies, and with the FOOLS that destroyed the Academy Awards, bringing them from one of the top shows in the Country to a Low Rated afterthought.

"De Niro should focus on his life, which is a mess, rather than the lives of others. He has become a total loser, as the World watches, waits, and laughs!" Trump added.

De Niro has never been a fan of the former president. In October, the Oscar winner dubbed Trump "evil" in a statement read at The New Republic's Stop Trump Summit in New York. Unable to attend the event after testing positive for COVID-19, De Niro's note was delivered by ex-Trump administration official Miles Taylor in his place.

In 2020, De Niro took a subtle dig at Trump on stage during the Screen Actors Guild Awards. While receiving the Lifetime Achievement accolade, the Irishman star appeared to slam the Trump administration for its "blatant abuse of power."

"There's right and there's wrong. There's common sense and there's abuse of power," De Niro said.

"As a citizen, I have as much right as anybody—an actor, an athlete, a musician, anybody else—to voice my opinion. And if I have a bigger voice because of my situation, I'm going to use it whenever I see a blatant abuse of power," De Niro added.

The actor was also one of the famous faces to appear in anti-Trump campaign video in 2016. Filmed ahead of the presidential election, De Niro referred to the politician as a "dog" and a "b******* artist," telling viewers he'd like to "punch him in the face."