Donald Trump lashed out at Robert De Niro after the actor appeared at a Biden campaign press conference with campaign officials and former U.S. Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone, who were injured in the January 6 insurrection. The conference, which took place outside the courthouse where Trump was hearing closing arguments in his hush-money sex case, marked an unusual foray by Biden's campaign into Trump's legal woes, a topic it had generally avoided earlier this year, according to the Associated Press.
"I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was," Trump railed on Truth Social. "Today, De Niro, who suffers from an incurable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, commonly known in the medical community as TDS, was met, outside the Courthouse, with a force far greater than the Radical Left - MAGA."
The "far greater force" Trump referred to was 20 or so Trump supporters gathered at the park nearby, waving flags that read phrases like "Trump or Death," wearing "Make American Great Again" apparel and chanting slogans such as "Juan Merchan is corrupt," referring to the judge presiding over the trial. After the press conference ended, they continued to follow and heckle De Niro.
The actor has provoked the ire of Trump's supporters since he began appearing more often in Biden campaign materials, including an ad that aired last week. Trump, who continues to be embroiled in his own theater of sorts, mocked the actor for going "WAY DOWN IN VALUE" since he voiced his support for Biden.
“I don’t mean to scare you. No, wait, maybe I do mean to scare you,” De Niro told reporters. “If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye that we all take for granted.”
The actor, a New Yorker, mocked Trump's own history with the city.
“We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another crappy real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot,” he said. “I love this city. I don’t want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country, and, eventually, he could destroy the world.”
After being elected president, Trump changed his primary residency to Florida, where he often holds court at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
