Robert De Niro Says Trump Will 'Destroy' America, Calls MAGA Followers 'Stupid for Following Him ... They Ought to Know Better'

Robert De Niro once again strongly condemned President Donald Trump and his administration during an interview on Tuesday, August 25.

While promoting his new Netflix thriller The Whisper Man, the 83-year-old actor addressed an AI-generated video that used a deepfake of his likeness to mock Hollywood critics of the president.

The interview quickly shifted to politics, sparking a personal counter-response from the White House.

De Niro addressed the concept of "Trump Derangement Syndrome” with USA Today, a trope widely used by supporters whenever someone criticizes the president or his policies.

“'Trump Derangement Syndrome' is because he’s given it to you for a reason. People resent deeply what he’s been doing. There are some that follow him ... under any conditions. Whatever their reasons are, I don't know. It's a cult, I guess, in some ways,” he explained.

“The thing that always amazes me is that if he had just been a decent person and tried to do the right thing, we wouldn't be in this situation. But he's not. And I think a lot of it happened from [Trump hosting] The Apprentice ... Kids are looking at [it] in their mid-teens; then they're eligible to vote later, and they vote as a family," the Meet the Parents star continued. "I think that part of the country watching The Apprentice had a tremendous influence. I could be wrong on why he got elected. It's crazy."

When asked what he was hopeful for after celebrating his 83rd birthday, the Taxi Driver actor replied bluntly.

“I don't even use the word 'hope' anymore with [Trump's] administration. They have to be gotten out. ... They are stupid for following him because they ought to know better; the rest of his gang. We can't have them in office anymore. It can't be," De Niro said. "He's just going to destroy not only the country, but other parts of the world. It's insane. That's a big concern of mine, and I think a lot of people now."

De Niro has publicly opposed Trump for roughly 15 years, with their feud dating back to 2011 when he criticized Trump's political posturing and his involvement in the "birther" conspiracy questioning President Barack Obama's citizenship.

Trump responded by insulting the actor's intelligence and has subsequently called him "demented."

The White House press office bypassed policy arguments, choosing instead to issue a highly personal attack against the actor.

Spokesman Davis Ingle fired back, calling De Niro "a washed-up has-been" and claiming the actor has a case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has "completely rotted his peanut-sized brain."