While discussing how Democrats are handling the “tactics behind” government shutdown, De Niro shocked the show’s anchors by cursing on-air. “I like Hakeem Jeffries. I like Chuck Schumer, Adam Schiff. They’re all great, strong,” he said. “I like what Letitia James is doing. “She’s saying, ‘F**k you.’ She’s saying, ‘This is it. I will not be taken down by this person. I am not afraid of him.’ And God bless her for that. That’s how other people have to do be.”
He urged more Democrats to not be afraid to fight back against Trump, adding, “That’s what you need. People saying, ‘I’ve had enough of this.’ We’ve all had enough. It’s right in front of us. Do it nicely, peacefully.”
Of the growth of the No Kings protests, which are statements against Trump’s authoritarian presidency, from January to now, De Niro said, “I’m very happy to see that because we need much more of it going forward. That’s the only thing that politicians are going to recognize. They either face the wrath of Trump or the wrath of the people. And they have to be more afraid of the wrath of the people and realize … this is not good. I better strap on my balls and do something about it.”
Regardless of whether or not politicians have gotten the message yet, De Niro urged, “We can’t let up. We cannot let up on them.” He also warned the public that Trump “is not going to leave the White House” when his term is up in 2028. “He does not want to leave the White House,” he insisted. “If anybody thinks, ‘He’ll do this, he’ll do that,’ they’re deluding themselves. But the Republicans, most of all, because they know, but they’re going along with it. It’s a classic bully situation.”
He continued to go off on the president, referencing how California Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump an “invasive species,” adding, “[That’s] what he is. He’s a thing that doesn’t understand anything about humanity, people. He has no empathy. I don’t know what he is, but he’s an alien. He wants to hurt this country. It’s something deeply psychological in him. … What saddens me the most is that people follow him and they kiss his ass and look up to him. I don’t understand it.” (You can see De Niro’s uncensored interview here.)
