NEW YORK — Actor Robert De Niro and two Jan. 6 police officers showed up Tuesday on behalf of the Biden campaign outside the courthouse where former President Trump’s hush monhey trial is taking place.
In its most direct attempt to wade into Trump’s legal troubles, President Biden’s campaign held a surprise press conference in lower Manhattan in which the actor and officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone spoke of the dangers of a second Trump presidency.
When asked why they were holding a political event outside a criminal trial — in particular after Trump has complained that the Biden administration was responsible for his indictment despite it being a state case — Biden’s communication director Michael Tyler said “you all are here,” referring to the trials’ massive media presence.
“It’s easy to talk about the choice in this election when the entire news media is here day in and day out,” Tyler said.
As the Biden surrogates were delivering their remarks, at least 20 Trump supporters were spotted in the park nearby, waving flags, wearing Make America Great Again gear and chanting various slogans including “F‑‑‑ Joe Biden.” A large flag that included the phrase “Trump or Death” was also being raised.
De Niro, who filmed a Biden campaign ad last week, bashed the former president while Trump supporters shouted and heckled him in the background.
“Donald Trump has created this. He should be telling them not to do this. … He wants to sow total chaos, which he’s succeeding in some areas and places to do,” De Niro said.
“I don’t mean to scare you. No no, wait, maybe I do mean to scare you. If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss away these freedoms that we take for granted, and elections, forget about it. … He will never leave,” he added.
US actor Robert De Niro speaks in support of US President Joe Biden outside of Manhattan Criminal Court as former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends his criminal trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments in New York City, on May 28, 2024. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
De Niro also at one point referred to Trump as a “clown.”
While De Niro was speaking, protesters could be heard yelling, “De Niro is afraid” and “I haven’t seen a good movie from you in the last 20 years!”
Once the press conference concluded, a group of demonstrators followed the actor, again heckling and shouting at De Niro. There was also a large police presence surrounding the park where the press conference took place.
The large group also chanted “We love Trump” and “Juan Merchan is corrupt,” in reference to Judge Juan Merchan, reiterating what Trump has often said of the judge overseeing his hush money trial.
Tyler, in answering why the Biden campaign was holding its first-ever press conference outside the courthouse, said it wanted to warn against Trump ahead of the first presidential debate, which is set for June.
“We want to remind the American people ahead … of the first debate on June 27 of the unique, persistent, growing threat Donald Trump poses to the American people and towards democracy,” Tyler said.
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Dunn and Fanone, the police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, stood behind De Niro as he criticized Trump over actions both before and during his career in politics.
“I love this city, I don’t want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only this city but the country, and eventually he will destroy the world,” De Niro said.
“We vowed that we would not allow terrorists—” he said, stopping himself.
He said in New York, locals used to “tolerate” Trump when he was a real estate mogul, arguing that no one took him seriously at the time.
The actor then focused on Jan. 6, saying Trump rallied “an angry mob” then “ran and hid in the White House.”
“He doesn’t get blood on his hands. … He directs the angry mob to do his dirty work for him,” he said.
Fanone described in detail the brutality he experienced on Jan. 6. Dunn argued Trump “encourages” political violence.
Trump’s campaign quickly arranged a rebuttal in the same location where Biden’s surrogates addressed reporters. Trump aides Jason Miller, Karoline Leavitt and Steven Cheung each stepped to the microphone to deride the trial as election interference and suggest the Biden campaign’s event was a sign of its concern about the incumbent’s standing in the polls.
“The Biden folks have finally done it. After months of saying that politics had nothing to do with this trial, they showed up and made a campaign event out of a lower Manhattan trial date for President Trump,” Miller said.
“The best that Biden can do is roll out a washed-up actor,” he added. “Everybody knows this case is complete garbage. President Trump did nothing wrong.”
Miller, after the Biden team press conference, also called De Niro “washed-up” and cited a report from Politico that Democrats are in a “full blown ‘freakout’” over Biden this election cycle.
Updated at 1:02 p.m. ET
Brett Samuels contributed.