During his long and prestigious acting career, Robert De Niro has taken on a variety of fictional opponents, from rival gang members to Gaylord Focker.
However, he now has beef with an all-too-real person who’s apparently struggling to keep their wig on after being insulted by the legendary movie actor.
I am talking of course, about President Donald Trump, who – unlike many professional politicians – is not above a catty tweet or two.
It’s no secret De Niro isn’t a supporter of Trump. Prior to him being elected, the Casino actor even declared he would emigrate to Italy if Trump was sworn in as president.
Back in March 2018, De Niro made the following comments at the Fulfillment Fund fundraiser, reports The Hollywood Reporter:
A college education is important, but education without humanity is ignorance. Look at our president.
He made it through the University of Pennsylvania, so he was exposed to a quality education, but he’s still an idiot. And he lacks any sense of humanity or compassion.
Now, De Niro has once again taken the chance to show his complete disgust for the president.
Taking to the stage while presenting Bruce Springsteen at The Tony Awards 2018, De Niro said:
Bruce, you can rock the house like nobody else and even more importantly in these perilous times, you rock the vote, always fighting for, in your own words, truth, transparency and integrity in government. Boy, do we need that now.
Raising his distinctive voice, De Niro continued:
F*ck Trump. It’s no longer ‘down with Trump’, it’s f*ck Trump.
His fiery comments received a standing ovation from the Radio City Music Hall audience, which included numerous actors, directors and producers.
To put it mildly, President Trump was not happy with De Niro’s speech; and opted to show his disapproval through his favourite medium, Twitter.
Tweeting to his 52.7 million followers, the world leader snapped:
Robert De Niro, a very Low IQ individual, has received too many shots to the head by real boxers in movies.
I watched him last night and truly believe he may be “punch-drunk.” I guess he doesn’t realize the economy is the best it’s ever been with employment being at an all time high, and many companies pouring back into our country. Wake up Punchy! [sic]
The series of tweets appear to have been crafted while Trump was still aboard Air Force One during his return from Singapore to the United States.
This isn’t the first time Trump has lashed out against a Hollywood actor after they criticised him.
He’s previously referred to Meryl Streep as being ‘one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood’, and has described Alec Baldwin as having a ‘dying mediocre career.’
De Niro has previously spoken of his desire to punch The Donald and, at 74-years-old, the great actor still cuts an imposing presence.
If I was Trump, I’d probably be hiding under the Oval Office desk right about now….
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.