During the Gotham Awards on Monday night, renowned actor Robert De Niro took the stage and expressed his frustration, claiming that his speech about Donald Trump had been edited. Despite his anger, De Niro decided to go ahead and deliver the speech as planned.
Key Takeaway
Robert De Niro expressed his frustration at the Gotham Awards, claiming that his speech criticizing Donald Trump was edited without his knowledge. He highlighted the importance of truth and history and criticized John Wayne for his alleged support of Native American land removal.
De Niro, a two-time Oscar winner, was presenting the Gotham Historical Icon and Creator Tribute award for his new film, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” However, he deviated from the script and went on a mini tirade.
The actor revealed, “I just want to say one thing. The beginning of my speech was edited, cut out, and I didn’t know about it. And I want to read it.”
De Niro then proceeded to lecture the audience about the importance of history and truth, criticizing the replacement of these fundamental values with “alternative facts.” He also took the opportunity to target iconic Western actor John Wayne, accusing him of supporting the removal of land from Native Americans.
Later in his speech, De Niro finally came to his main point, which was to denounce Trump, a man he openly despises. He stated, “The former President lied to us more than 30,000 times during his four years in office. And he’s keeping up the pace in his current campaign of retribution. But with all his lies, he can’t hide his soul.”
De Niro continued to hurl more criticism at Trump before acknowledging, “This is where I came in, and I saw that they edited all that.” He attributed this editing to Apple and the Gotham Awards, expressing his displeasure and refusing to extend gratitude for their actions. It seems unlikely that De Niro will return to the awards ceremony in the future.
Although De Niro’s speech took a detour due to his frustration with the editing, his strong opposition to Trump remained a central theme. The actor firmly believes in speaking his mind and standing up for what he feels is right, as evidenced by his unapologetic remarks at the Gotham Awards.
