Robert De Niro highly criticizes US President Donald Trump as he received an Honorary Palme d'Or Award at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2025. (Photo by Reuters)
Cannes, May 15 (RHC)-- American actor Robert De Niro launched a scathing critique of U.S. president Donald Trump at the Cannes Film Festival, slamming his policies are "not just America's problem" only but a "global" one.
During the Cannes Film Festival's opening ceremony on Tuesday, Robert De Niro, who received the honorary Palme d'Or, warned that Trump would endanger the world, calling him a threat to global stability. “In my country, we are fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted,” he said, adding: “That affects all of us here, because art is the crucible that brings people together, like tonight. Art looks for truth. Art embraces diversity. That’s why art is a threat.”
De Niro’s attacks came after earlier this month, Trump announced a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the country, saying the American movie industry was dying a "very fast death" due to the incentives that other countries were offering to lure filmmakers.
“You can’t put a price on creativity,” said De Niro, “but apparently you can put a tariff on it. Of course, this is unacceptable. All of these attacks are unacceptable. And this isn’t just an American problem, it’s a global one. Like a film, we can’t just all sit back and watch. We have to act, and we have to act now.”
The Trump imposed tariffs and budget cuts have led to protests in front of Congress, with speakers expressing concerns about the disproportionate impact on lower and middle-class Americans.
“America’s philistine president ha[s] had himself appointed head of one of our premier cultural institutions [the Kennedy Center]. He has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education,” he continued.
Wrapping up his address, De Niro urged the crowd to take action “without violence, but with great passion and determination.” "It's time for anyone who cares about liberty to organize, to protest and when there are elections, of course to vote,” he concluded.
This also comes amid Trump's chaotic tariff war affecting world countries, with reports indicating the tariffs set by Trump’s administration are the highest in more than a century, making imports to the world’s largest consumer market now face an average duty of 22.5%, up from 2.5% last year.
Economists assess that the tariffs could reignite inflation, raise the risk of a U.S. recession, and boost costs for the average U.S. family by thousands of dollars - a potential liability for a president who promised Americans to reduce the cost of living.
[ SOURCE: REUTERS and NEWS AGENCIES ]
