Robert de Niro Warns Americans About Donald Trump Says the Nation Is at Risk

Robert De Niro became notably emotional during a recent appearance on the podcast The Best People with Nicolle Wallace, where he delivered a passionate plea for civic action. The Academy Award-winning actor stripped away his tough-guy image to speak as what he called a concerned citizen.

During the episode, which aired on February 23, De Niro didn’t hold back his feelings regarding the current political climate and the direction of the country under President Donald Trump. The legendary actor grew visibly choked up while discussing the stakes of the upcoming midterm elections and the integrity of the nation’s democratic institutions.

He told Wallace that the current state of the United States is sick and f***ed up, expressing a deep sense of urgency about the need for mass mobilization. The story is our country, and Trump is destroying it, he stated, adding that we have to save the country before the damage becomes irreversible.

De Niro went even further, describing Trump as the enemy of this country and telling listeners that it’s that simple. He argued that there is no room for hesitation and that everyone needs to stick together to get them out and get back on track.

Throughout the interview, he repeatedly called on Americans to oppose the administration through persistent and peaceful resistance. He emphasized that even if the leadership were to change suddenly, the underlying movement would still pose a threat.

People have to resist, resist, resist, resist, resist, he said, explaining that the current political energy has to be neutralized by the people. He compared the necessity of these protests to the anti-war demonstrations during the Vietnam era, insisting that the public must make their voices heard in massive numbers.

Toward the end of the conversation, Wallace brought up De Niro’s 1981 Oscar speech for Raging Bull, noting that he has always tried to lift up those around him. When asked why that matters so much, De Niro began to choke up, and his voice cracked.

You have to lift people up, he said, adding that you can’t divide people because you can’t win that way. He described the current state of division as a no-win situation and characterized the president’s actions as an attempt to destroy the country, perhaps without even understanding the consequences.

He concluded by saying that because of this destruction, it’s up to us to protect the country. This interview follows his heavy involvement in the No Kings movement, which saw millions of people protest across the United States in late 2025.

Outside of his political activism, Robert De Niro has kept a very busy professional schedule throughout the year. He is currently starring in the Netflix limited series Zero Day, where he plays a former president pulled out of retirement to investigate a global cyberattack. He is also preparing for the fall release of the thriller The Whisper Man.

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