Robert De Niro Calls 'Wannabe Dictator' Donald Trump 'Evil' in Scathing Speech Shared at the Stop Trump Summit in NYC

Killers of the Flower Moon actor Robert De Niro branded former President Donald Trump as "evil" in a highly charged speech shared with attendees of The New Republic's Stop Trump Summit in New York City.

De Niro, an outspoken critic of Trump, had penned the speech himself but was unable to deliver it in person due to testing positive for COVID-19. Instead, former Trump administration official Miles Taylor read out the statement on De Niro's behalf.

"I've spent a lot of time studying bad men," the statement read. "I've examined their characteristics, their mannerisms, the utter banality of their cruelty. Yet there's something different about Donald Trump. When I look at him, I don't see a bad man. Truly. I see an evil one."

"Over the years, I've met gangsters here and there," De Niro wrote. "[Trump] tries to be one, but he can't quite pull it off. There's such a thing as 'honor among thieves.' Yes, even criminals usually have a sense of right and wrong. Whether they do the right thing or not is a different story—but—they have a moral code, however warped. Donald Trump does not."

"He's a wannabe tough guy with no morals or ethics," De Niro continued. "No sense of right or wrong. No regard for anyone but himself — not the people he was supposed to lead and protect, not the people he does business with, not the people who follow him, blindly and loyally, not even the people who consider themselves his 'friends.' He has contempt for all of them."

The native New Yorker also reflected on the impact of Trump's presidency on both America and his hometown.

De Niro highlighted the divisive nature of Trump's leadership, which had caused turmoil and put the country at risk. De Niro drew a parallel between Trump and an abusive father, ruling through fear and violent behavior.

He stressed the importance of taking the danger of Trump seriously, as evil thrives when it is dismissed.

The Taxi Driver actor declared that this was their last chance, underscoring that democracy would not survive the return of a "wannabe dictator."

He urged the audience to take action beyond the confines of the summit, reaching out to those who had supported Trump and involving them in shaping the country's future.

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De Niro's denunciation of Trump sparked instant debate on various social media platforms, with numerous users praising the actor for his cutting commentary on the former president.

The statement went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter, with many users hailing De Niro's speech as "brilliant" and stating that it was "more statesmanlike" than anything Trump had ever said.

However, not everyone shared the same sentiment, with a number of individuals expressing their distaste for De Niro's statements and vowing to no longer watch his movies.

One X user wrote, "Go away De Niro not everyone cares what you think of another person ... We care about our country and Trump's policy. I didn't always like my [boss's] personality but I liked what he did for the company that kept our jobs to live our lives."

Another commented, "Trump is the only candidate that can and will unite America."

Quotes were sourced from Newsweek and X.