Robert De Niro took center stage at the premiere of “Megalopolis” to voice his concerns about Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House. The actor used the event to urge Americans to vote against Trump in the upcoming election.
De Niro didn’t hold back when he compared Trump’s leadership skills to directing a movie. He said:
“Just imagine Donald Trump directing this film. It’ll never go anywhere from total craziness. He cannot do anything. He cannot hold anything together. He wants to destroy the country. And he could not do this movie. He could not do anything that has a structure.”
The actor’s comments at the premiere weren’t surprising. De Niro has often spoken out against Trump. He previously called for Trump’s defeat after Joe Biden stepped back from the race. He even suggested banning Trump from running after his hush money trial verdict. Trump, in response, called De Niro a “wacko.”
De Niro went on to draw parallels between the themes in “Megalopolis” and what he sees as the potential consequences of Trump’s reelection. He stressed:
“I see the things in Francis’ film about that, the parallels and so on. To me, it’s not over until it’s over, and we have to go at this wholeheartedly to beat the Republicans; those Republicans, they’re not real Republicans and beat Trump. It’s that simple. We cannot have that type of person. Everybody has to get out there and vote.”
“Megalopolis,” directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a futuristic dystopian film. It’s been a long-gestating project for the legendary director. Coppola mentioned he intentionally cast actors with different political views to balance things out. He hinted at including actors who “are voting another way,” likely referring to Jon Voight, known for his support of Trump.
The premiere also saw other notable attendees, including director Spike Lee. While the event was meant to celebrate Coppola’s ambitious new film, De Niro’s political statements ended up stealing the spotlight.
