Robert De Niro cussed out President Donald Trump on Tuesday as he introduced Meryl Streep at the National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala.
De Niro was on stage Tuesday night to introduce the recipient of the National Board of Review's "best actress" award, Meryl Streep for he role in "The Post," but took the opportunity to rip into the president, according to a transcript of the event. The New York Times reported:
Until Robert De Niro took the stage on Tuesday to introduce Meryl Streep at the National Board of Review awards gala, the night had largely been a ho-hum affair, lacking the drama of other events during film awards season, like the Golden Globes on Sunday.
But past the evening’s two-hour mark, perhaps aware that the event wasn’t being televised, Mr. De Niro unleashed several profanity-laden asides directed at President Trump. He referred to the leader as a "fool" and an "idiot" (adding the same expletive each time), as well as the "baby-in-chief."
The actor began by praising "The Post" and Streep's co-star, Tom Hanks, before soon digging into the president.
"That brings us to 'The Post,' and another signature performance from the extraordinary Meryl Streep. Meryl is the most generous and giving actor. She not only inhabits her own character, she helps bring out the character of everyone else on the screen. Can a volleyball do that?" De Niro asked, referencing Wilson in "Castaway."
"Not even if the volleyball was a stable genius," he said in reference to Trump's recent description of himself.
The expletives were soon out in full force.
"This fucking idiot is the president. It's The Emperor's New Clothes – the guy is a fucking fool," De Niro said.
De Niro further offered his own nicknames for the president before comparing Trump to Nixon, linking the presidents' relationship with the press.
"Our baby-in-chief–the jerk-off-in-chief, I call him–has put the press under siege, ridiculing it for trying to discredit it through outrageous attacks and lies, De Niro said. "And again, just like 1971, the press is distinguishing itself with brave, exacting journalism."
The Times' Sopan Deb tweeted the full transcript of De Niro's speech on Tuesday night.
https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/950940056801431558
Both Streep and De Niro have been critics of Trump and Supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.