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‘I Do Mean to Scare You’: De Niro Slams Trump Outside NYC Courthouse

The press conference, which also featured two Jan. 6 officers, was arranged by the Biden campaign

Published: May 28, 2024
  |   By Chris Karr
‘I Do Mean to Scare You’: De Niro Slams Trump Outside NYC Courthouse

Outside of the Manhattan courthouse where closing arguments are scheduled in Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial, Robert De Niro warned voters about the dangers of re-electing the former president.


Hecklers shouted at the actor as soon as he approached the podium.

“I mean, this is really – even these people over here are kinda – it’s kinda crazy,” he began, pausing as an expletive was shouted. “It’s really crazy, and this, this thing – Donald Trump has created this. He should be telling them not to do this, but he’s just – he wants to … sow total chaos, which he’s succeeding in some areas and places to do.”

Reading from prepared remarks, De Niro began by saying that downtown New York City was his neighborhood. He then mentioned the Twin Towers and his own Tribeca Film Festival before shifting focus to the former president.
“Donald Trump wants to destroy not only this city, but the country and, eventually, he could destroy the world. But we vowed we would not allow terrorists…” he began before pausing as protestors appeared to shout “F--- Joe Biden.”



De Niro went on to say that Trump “doesn’t belong in my city. I don’t know where he belongs.”

“Under Trump, this kind of government will perish from the earth,” he continued. “I don’t mean to scare you. No, no, wait, maybe I do mean to scare you. If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye, that we all take for granted. And elections, forget about it. That’s over. That’s done.”

He added: “If he gets in, I can tell you right now, he will never leave. He will never leave. You know that. He will never leave.”

De Niro went on the suggest Trump will declare himself “dictator for life” and cited this concern as the reason he joined the Biden-Harris campaign, which arranged the press conference.

“The only way to preserve our freedoms and hold onto our humanity is to vote for Joe Biden for president,” he said. “Really. We don’t have a choice!”



De Niro was joined by Jan. 6 Capitol Police officers Henry Dunn and Michael Fanone, who stood behind the actor as he spoke.

When De Niro referred to the officers as heroes who put their lives on the line, someone nearby said, “They lied under oath.”

"They lied under oath,” De Niro said. “Who lied under oath? What are you telling me?"

"Those two traitors behind you," said the person, who remained off-camera.

“They lied under oath?” De Niro repeated.

“That’s right,” the person said.

"What are you saying?" the actor asked.

"They're traitors," said the person.

"They're traitors? I don’t even know how to deal with you, my friend,” De Niro said. “They stood there and fought – for us! For you. For you!"

"They didn't fight for me,” the person said.



When speaking, Fanone repeated claims from his 2021 testimony that he had been tased in the neck, beaten and “brutally assaulted.”


Critics of Fanone’s claims have pointed to body cam footage from Jan. 6 that show a positive physical evaluation following his altercation with protestors.

“No obvious severe injuries,” says an official after evaluating Fanone.

Fanone, who authored the New York Times bestseller Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop’s Battle for America’s Soul, was also confronted about the death of Ashli Babbitt.

“She was murdered – an unarmed veteran,” said the person who filmed his confrontation with Fanone, whom he referred to as a “sellout” and a “traitor to your country.”

It appears that the person who filmed the video, who runs the X account Oreo Express Normal/Not Mentally Ill, was also the person who claimed Fanone and Dunn lied under oath.



When asked about the choice of location for the press conference, Biden’s communications director Michael Tyler said the trial had garnered a sizable media presence.

“It’s easy to talk about the choice in this election when the entire news media is here day in and day out,” Tyler said, per The Hill.

“At least 20 Trump supporters also were spotted in the park right next to the press conference, waving flags, wearing Make America Great Again gear and chanting,” the outlet reports. “A large flag that included the phrase ‘Trump or Death’ was being raised near the event. … While De Niro was speaking, protesters could be heard yelling, ‘De Niro is afraid’ and ‘I haven’t seen a good movie from you in the last 20 years!’”

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