Robert De Niro says Trump 'wants to hurt this country' and 'will not leave' office

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Robert De Niro has never been one to mince words when speaking about President Donald Trump.

The Oscar-winning actor appeared on MSNBC on Oct. 19 to share his support for the nationwide No Kings Day protests against the Trump administration. De Niro, a longtime Trump critic, said he was "very happy" to see the turnout at the demonstrations, and he shared concerns that the president will attempt to remain in office after his second term ends in January 2029.

"We can't let up," he said. "We cannot let up because he is not going to leave the White House. He does not want to leave the White House; he will not leave the White House. Anybody who thinks, 'Oh, he'll do this, he'll do that,' is just deluding themselves."

The 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution bars Trump from seeking a third term as president, but he has floated the possibility of doing so. In March, Trump told NBC News that "there are methods which you could do it," referring to running for a third term, and he clarified he was "not joking." He later told "Meet the Press" in May that he is not planning to try to run again in 2028, noting he is not "allowed" to.

"I'm looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, to carry it forward," he said.

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Speaking on MSNBC, De Niro, 82, called Trump a "bully" and said "we have to keep fighting and pushing until he is out" of office.

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Robert De Niro slams Donald Trump: 'He's a jerk, an idiot'

"Trump does not understand anything about humanity," the actor said. "He has no empathy. I don't know what he is, but he's an alien, and he wants to hurt this country. It's something deeply psychological in him. He wants to hurt people."

The "Taxi Driver" star added that he doesn't "understand" how members of Trump's Cabinet "can live with themselves."

De Niro spoke out after protesters took to the streets on Saturday, Oct. 18, for No Kings Day, a series of rallies centered on the idea that Trump is behaving like a king in office. The actor expressed support for the protesters in a video shared by the progressive group Indivisible, in which he slammed Trump as a "would-be king."

De Niro has repeatedly criticized Trump throughout the president's entire political career, often using blunt language. In 2016, the actor famously said that he wanted to "punch (Trump) in the face," while also describing the then-candidate as "blatantly stupid," a "punk" and a "pig."

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During an appearance on "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace" in 2024, De Niro said he "never wanted anything to do with" Trump when he was a New York businessman. "He's a jerk, an idiot," De Niro said. "Who wants to meet a clown like that?"

"He thinks he's a gangster," De Niro also said on the show. "He does everything like a gangster. I don't think that gangsters in that world would … think much of him. … If you don't keep your word and do the right thing with people, no matter what profession you're in, you are going to get ostracized. And in that world, it's a little harder."

For his part, Trump has hit back against De Niro in the past, calling him a "wacko" in a 2024 post on his social media platform Truth Social. Trump added that De Niro's "movies, artistry, and brand have gone WAY DOWN IN VALUE since he entered the political arena at the request of Crooked Joe Biden."

Numerous celebrities took part in the No Kings protests against the Trump administration, including Pedro Pascal and Kerry Washington. "PROTECT #Democracy," Pascal wrote on Instagram while sharing photos from a Los Angeles No Kings rally.