He wanted to punch
him in the face.
Eight years later, Trump won twice.

October 8, 2016. Eight insults in ninety seconds.

A month before the 2016 presidential election, the VoteYourConscience.com campaign released a video of Robert De Niro speaking directly to camera. He was not asked to endorse a candidate. He was asked to talk about Donald Trump. He did.

In the space of approximately 90 seconds, De Niro called Trump “a punk,” “a dog,” “a pig,” “a con,” “a bullshit artist,” “a mutt who doesn’t know what he’s talking about, doesn’t do his homework, doesn’t care,” “an idiot,” and “a bozo.” He added: “He’s so blatantly stupid. He’s a punk. He’s a dog. He’s a pig. He’s a con — a bullshit artist. A mutt who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Then: “I’d like to punch him in the face.”

“He's a punk. He's a dog. He's a pig. He's a con, a bullshit artist, a mutt who doesn't know what he's talking about, doesn't do his homework, doesn't care, thinks he's gaming society, doesn't pay his taxes, he's an idiot. I'd like to punch him in the face.”

Robert De Niro — VoteYourConscience.com video, October 8, 2016 · Reported by Variety, Deadline, Washington Post, CBC, CNN

The video received widespread coverage. Trump won the 2016 election 30 days later, carrying 306 electoral votes and winning Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin — the three Rust Belt states that had voted Democratic in the previous six presidential elections. De Niro’s home state of New York voted for Clinton by 22 points.

“Fuck Trump.” Twice. Live on CBS. Standing ovation.

On June 10, 2018, De Niro took the stage at Radio City Music Hall to introduce a performance by Bruce Springsteen at the 72nd Tony Awards, broadcast live on CBS. He walked to the microphone, raised both fists, and said: “I’m going to say one thing: Fuck Trump.”

The theater audience — composed of the Broadway community — rose to its feet and applauded. De Niro raised both fists again. He said “Fuck Trump” a second time. Both statements were censored by CBS in the domestic broadcast feed. The uncensored audio circulated immediately on social media. Hollywood Reporter reported the incident under the headline: “Robert De Niro Drops Two F-Bombs on Trump at Tony Awards, Gets Standing Ovation.”

May 28, 2024. Hitler. Mussolini. “A monster.”

On May 28, 2024 — two days before the jury returned its verdict in the Manhattan criminal trial of Donald Trump — Robert De Niro appeared at a press conference outside the Manhattan courthouse organized by the Biden-Harris campaign. He called Trump “a monster,” “a clown,” and “a tyrant.” He warned that if Trump were re-elected, he would destroy New York City and the country. He invoked Hitler and Mussolini by name.

During the press conference, he was confronted by Trump supporters who argued with him on camera. CNN captured the exchange. De Niro responded to the crowd. The Biden-Harris campaign had organized the event; De Niro appeared alongside former police officers and other Biden surrogates. The appearance was widely covered as an example of the campaign using celebrity surrogates to respond to the trial’s daily proceedings.

Trump was convicted on May 30, 2024 on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He was sentenced in January 2025 to an unconditional discharge — no prison, no probation, no fine — by Judge Juan Merchan, who cited Trump’s status as president-elect. Trump had won the November 2024 election by a wider margin than 2016, carrying 312 electoral votes.

From Travis Bickle to this. Eight years of the same speech.

Robert De Niro is one of the most acclaimed actors in American film history. He has received eight Academy Award nominations and won twice — for The Godfather Part II (1974) and Raging Bull (1980). He is associated with films including Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Once Upon a Time in America, GoodFellas, Cape Fear, Heat, and Casino. In 2019, he starred in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, which received ten Academy Award nominations.

Since 2016, De Niro has become more recognizable to a broad audience for his anti-Trump statements than for his film work. The punch video, the Tony Awards appearance, and the courthouse press conference are among the most-viewed clips associated with his name in the social media era. His political commentary has been consistent in tone — and, by the electoral record, consistent in outcome: Trump won before De Niro called him a dog, pig, and mutt in 2016. Trump won again after De Niro compared him to Hitler outside his criminal trial in 2024.

Eight years. The same man. The same result.

From October 2016 to May 2024, Robert De Niro delivered essentially the same message — Trump is a dangerous, stupid, violent man who will destroy America — at escalating rhetorical volume: a voter registration video, a live network awards broadcast, a courthouse press conference organized by the incumbent president’s re-election campaign. Each iteration drew significant press coverage. Each iteration was followed by Trump winning more votes than before.

The 2024 election produced Trump’s first popular vote majority. New York — De Niro’s home state, one of the most reliably Democratic large states in the country — swung toward Trump by 13 points. De Niro has not publicly reflected on the relationship between his approach and the outcome. The video from 2016 remains on YouTube. The courthouse footage is on CNN’s channel. The Tony Awards clip has been viewed millions of times.