Robert De Niro sat down for a conversation about his latest Netflix thriller and ended up making headlines for his latest clash with Donald Trump’s supporters.
The two-time Oscar winner, who recently turned 83, spoke with USA TODAY while promoting The Whisper Man, a psychological crime drama centered on a retired detective pulled into a dangerous investigation involving his estranged son. But the interview shifted when De Niro was asked about an AI-generated Trump video that used a fake version of the actor to mock celebrities who have criticized the president.
De Niro said he no longer uses the word “hope” when discussing Trump’s administration and argued that Trump and his allies “have to be gotten out.” He also responded to Trump’s repeated use of the phrase “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” describing some of the president’s most loyal followers as part of what he called “a cult.”
The White House quickly fired back, turning the movie interview into another chapter in the long-running public feud between Trump and De Niro.
He Stopped Hoping a While Ago
De Niro’s strongest criticism came before the “cult” comment, when he explained why he no longer feels optimistic about Trump’s leadership.
“I don’t even use the word ‘hope’ anymore with [President Trump’s] administration,” De Niro told USA TODAY. “They have to be gotten out.”
The actor said some supporters who “ought to know better” were following Trump despite his concerns about the country’s direction. He also warned that Trump could “destroy not only the country, but other parts of the world.” Those statements reflect De Niro’s political views and personal predictions.
When asked about Trump’s frequent use of the phrase “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” De Niro rejected the idea that criticism of the president was simply irrational. He later clarified that his “cult” remark was aimed at a specific group of devoted Trump supporters who continue backing him regardless of circumstances, not all Trump voters.
The White House Response Turned Personal
Trump’s press office response was not a measured disagreement. It was a direct attack on De Niro himself.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle described De Niro as “a washed up has-been who hasn’t been relevant in 30 years” and said the actor “should seek immediate treatment for a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has completely rotted his peanut-sized brain.”
The statement focused on criticizing De Niro rather than addressing his comments about Trump, his administration, or the use of AI-generated content.
The exchange highlighted how quickly political disputes involving Trump often move beyond policy disagreements and into personal attacks between public figures.
Before the “Cult” Comment, There Was an AI Video
De Niro’s remarks came after he was asked about a fabricated video that placed words in his mouth using artificial intelligence.
In early July, Trump shared a roughly 90-second video on Truth Social presented as a pharmaceutical-style advertisement. The clip featured an AI-generated version of Trump acting as a doctor and promoting a fictional treatment for “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
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The video also included AI versions of De Niro, Julia Roberts, Rosie O’Donnell, Whoopi Goldberg, John Leguizamo, and Edward Norton. The fake De Niro character claimed he struggled with anger and frustration because of Trump, though the real actor did not say those words.
The clip ended with the AI version of Trump telling viewers to “turn off fake news” and enjoy a Diet Coke. During the USA TODAY interview, the reporter brought up the video while discussing the phrase “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” De Niro’s comments about Trump supporters followed from that conversation.
Fifteen Years of Public Conflict
De Niro’s criticism of Trump was not a sudden reaction connected to a movie promotion. The two have been publicly clashing for more than a decade.
Their conflict dates back to 2011, when De Niro criticized Trump’s involvement in questions surrounding President Barack Obama’s citizenship. Trump responded by attacking De Niro’s intelligence.
The actor became one of Hollywood’s most outspoken Trump critics during the 2016 election. At a Taxi Driver anniversary event in Sarajevo that August, De Niro called Trump “totally nuts.” Later that year, he appeared in a voter-turnout video where he said he wanted to punch Trump in the face, a moment that quickly spread online.
In 2018, De Niro delivered a profanity-filled criticism of Trump at the National Board of Review gala. Five years later, he described Trump as “evil” during The New Republic’s Stop Trump Summit and said Trump had “no regard for anyone but himself.”
The AI-generated video became the latest flashpoint in a relationship defined by years of public criticism.
Related: Robert De Niro Sparks Controversy with Latest Criticism of Donald Trump and Stephen Miller
The Film That Started the Interview
Before politics took over the conversation, De Niro was promoting a thriller built around family, regret and second chances.
The Whisper Man begins streaming on Netflix August 28. Directed by James Ashcroft and adapted from Alex North’s 2019 mystery novel, the film follows Tom Kennedy, a recently widowed crime writer whose young son Jake is kidnapped.
Tom turns to his estranged father Pete, played by De Niro, for help. Their investigation leads them toward a connection involving a convicted serial killer known as the Whisper Man. Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton also appear in the film, with De Niro saying Keaton was “perfect for it.”
De Niro also spoke about becoming more selective with his projects as he gets older, explaining that he now balances film choices with family responsibilities, including raising his 3-year-old daughter with partner Tiffany Chen. His next theatrical release, the comedy sequel Focker-in-Law, arrives November 25.
While The Whisper Man was meant to be the focus of the interview, De Niro’s comments about Trump, AI-generated political content, and celebrity involvement in political debates quickly became the conversation that followed.
The Trump AI video featured fabricated versions of multiple public figures without their consent. Do you think AI-generated political content using real people’s likenesses should face legal limits, or does that territory already belong to satire?
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