Robert De Niro, a renowned Hollywood actor believed that if former US President Donald Trump became the president one more time, the country’s democracy would not survive, while calling him "a fool", and "evil".
In a statement, Robert De Niro said in a strong warning Wednesday: "I've spent a lot of time studying bad men, adding that he examined their characteristics, their mannerisms, the utter banality of their cruelty."
"Yet there’s something different about Donald Trump," the Heat movie actor said, adding that "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. This guy tries to be one, but he can’t quite pull it off," the 80-year-old said.
"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," the Academy Award winner’s statement read.
"Donald Trump does not. He’s a wannabe tough guy. With no morals or ethics. 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 as friends. He has contempt for all of them."
In his criticism of the Trump administration's Covid-19 response, he said: "The man who was supposed to protect this country put it in peril because of his recklessness and impulsiveness. It was like an abusive father, ruling the family by fear and violent behaviour."
The actor also urged critics of the former president not to write the 2024 White House hopeful off.
"Evil thrives in the shadow of dismissive mockery, which is why we must take the danger of Donald Trump very seriously," De Niro said in a strong-worded warning.
"This is our last chance. Democracy won’t survive the return of a wannabe dictator, and it won’t overcome evil if we are divided."
"We have to reach out to half of the country who have ignored the hazards of Trump and, for whatever reason, support elevating him back into the White House."
"They’re not stupid and we must not condemn them for making a stupid choice," De Niro said.
Back in 2018, Donald Trump termed the actor a “very low IQ individual,” saying in a social media post that the film star had “received [too] many shots to the head by real boxers in movies.”
The Hollywood star encouraged critics to “reach out to Trump’s followers with respect and without mentioning democracy since they’ve already turned their backs on it.
He said: “Democracy may be our holy grail,” but, let’s talk about right and wrong. Let’s talk about humanity. Let’s talk about kindness, security for our world, safety for our families, decency.”
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