Former President Trump ridiculed Robert De Niro as "pathetic" and a "wacko." The liberal actor’s chaotic conference outside a Manhattan courthouse was widely derided.
In a late-night post on Truth Social, Trump tore into De Niro. The two-time Academy Award winner has angrily attacked Trump for years. On Tuesday, De Niro claimed that Trump "wants to destroy" the city and the nation and could eventually destroy the entire world.
"I never knew how small, both mentally and physically, Wacko Former Actor Robert De Niro was," Trump wrote at around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.
"Today, De Niro, who suffers from an incurable case of, commonly known in the medical community as TDS, was met, outside the Courthouse, with a force far greater than the Radical Left - MAGA."
"Robert, whose movies, artistry, and brand have gone WAY DOWN IN VALUE since he entered the political arena at the request of Crooked Joe Biden, looked so pathetic and sad out there," Trump said. "Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio!!!"
Conservatives compared the press conference to an episode of the satirical HBO show, "Veep." It was disrupted by hecklers and a car alarm.
"Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country. And eventually he could destroy the world," De Niro fumed, reading prepared remarks on Tuesday.
"I owe this city a lot. And that's why it's so weird that Donald Trump is just across the street because he doesn't belong in my city. I don't know where he belongs, but he certainly doesn't belong here. We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot," De Niro added.
De Niro was joined by Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign's communications director. Tyler called Trump a "chaos agent." Former D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone and former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn also joined. They were present at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot.
They have been deeply critical of Trump's conduct around the riot. They said he's unfit to return to office.
After the remarks wrapped up, the situation soon descended into chaos. De Niro was heckled by Trump supporters as he was leaving the podium. He even got into a shouting match with one man in a MAGA hat who called him a "washed-up actor."
The Trump campaign held a separate press conference Tuesday. This followed the Biden campaign's presser with De Niro.
Trump campaign senior adviser Steven Cheung called the Biden camp's press conference "election interference of the highest order."
"Crooked Joe Biden and his campaign are in complete freakout mode," he added.