In a recent podcast interview, Robert De Niro called on Americans to resist President Donald Trump. “The story is our country, and Trump is destroying it, and who knows what his reasons are, but it’s sick,” the actor said. “We have to save the country.” Now Trump has fired back.
Donald Trump lashes out at Robert De Niro and calls him “a sick and demented person” for urging Americans to “resist” the president and “save our country.”
“Trump Deranged Robert De Niro [is] another sick and demented person with, I believe, an extremely Low IQ, who has… pic.twitter.com/7hCgIdagGP
— Variety (@Variety) February 25, 2026
It continues a long-running feud between the Oscar-winner and Trump and is another example of tensions between the entertainment industry and the current administration.
De Niro Calls for Resistance
De Niro made his remarks during a February 23rd appearance on the MS Now podcast The Best People With Nicole Wallace. He referred to Trump as an “enemy of this country” and repeatedly encouraged opposition—not just to the president, but everyone within the administration.
President Donald Trump speaks at CPAC in 2017 – YouTube, The New York Times
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“People have to resist, resist, resist, resist, resist. That’s the only way. There’s no magic. There’s no nothing—people are not going to go away, even if Trump dies for some reason by having an illness or something,” De Niro said. “Parts of that movement are still there, and that’s the scary part. It has to be neutralized by the people.”
Nicolle Wallace and Robert De Niro on The Best People podcast – MS Now, YouTube
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It was a politically-charged statement from the actor, who has never minced words. Later in the interview, De Niro became visibly emotional as he called for unity. “You have to—you have to lift people up,” he said. “You have to bring them together. Period. You can’t divide people. You can’t win that way.”
He concluded with a call to action: “It’s a no-win situation, and look what we have, look who we have there, it’s almost like a destiny to have this thing there, destroying… attempting to destroy this country and maybe not even understanding why. So it’s up to us to protect the country.”
Trump Fires Back on Truth Social
Two days later, Trump took to Truth Social to fire back. After referencing Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib’s actions during the State of the Union address, the president took aim at De Niro. “Trump Deranged Robert De Niro [is] another sick and demented person with, I believe, an extremely Low IQ, who has absolutely no idea what he is doing or saying — some of which is seriously CRIMINAL!” he wrote.
Donald Trump sits down at an interview with Sean Hannity – YouTube, Fox News
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“When I watched him break down in tears last night, much like a child would do, I realized that he may be even sicker than Crazy Rosie O’Donnell, who is right now in Ireland trying to figure out how to come back into our beautiful United States. The only difference between De Niro and Rosie is that she is probably somewhat smarter than him, which isn’t saying much,” Trump added.
Stepping Back
The exchange goes beyond this latest clash between Trump and De Niro. It showcases the growing role of celebrity voices in shaping political conversation, and raises questions about how public debate is influenced by emotion, spectacle, and personal attacks. While not everyone experiences politics this way in daily life, these highly visible clashes shape the lens through which many Americans view the country’s leaders and the state of democracy.
How do you feel about the latest exchange between Trump and De Niro? Sound off in the comments!
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