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Robert De Niro speaks outside Trump trial
Actor and New Yorker Robert De Niro speaks outside of the courthouse as closing arguments are taking place in the Donald Trump hush money trial. De Niro called Trump a "clown" and explained why he is supporting President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Robert De Niro appeared in New York City Tuesday at a gathering outside the courtroom where closing arguments were taking place in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial.
De Niro called Trump a clown and a buffoon and urged everyone to "vote him out once and for all" in November in order to maintain freedom and democracy, he claimed.
"If he gets in (the White House), I can tell you right now he will never leave," De Niro said. "Is that the country we want to live in? Do we want him running this country and saying, ‘I’m not leaving; I’m dictator for life?’"
DeNiro also spoke of knowing Trump in New York society over the decades before he got into politics.
"We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another grubby real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot, a two-bit Playboy lying his way into the tabloids, pretending to be a spokesman, a spokesperson for himself. He was calling in as himself - for himself - to fool the press into inflating his net worth," DeNiro alleged. "A clown."
"But this city is pretty accommodating. We make room for clowns. We have them all over the city. People who do crazy things in the street; we tolerate it. It's part of the city. It's part of the culture. But not a person like Trump who'll eventually run the country," he continued.
You can watch De Niro’s remarks in full in the video player above.
RELATED: Trump trial live updates: Closing arguments begin in hush money case
The actor was sent Tuesday by Joe Biden's campaign along with two law enforcement officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to speak in an effort to refocus the presidential race on the Capitol insurrection.
The Biden campaign last week released a new ad that was narrated by De Niro sharply criticizing Trump’s presidency and plans if he’s reelected.
De Niro said he got involved in the ad because "it shows the violence of Trump and reminds us that he'll use violence against anyone who stands in the way of his megalomania and greed."
Biden’s team had largely ignored Trump’s trial since it began six weeks ago, but announced they were holding an event with "special guests" Tuesday outside the courthouse.
Several of Trump’s political allies have made appearances outside the courthouse throughout the trial as well, including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and several U.S. senators including JD Vance of Ohio, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Rick Scott of Florida.
Trump’s campaign lined up allies to appear at the courthouse to attack witnesses and others whom Trump is barred by a judge’s gag order from criticizing himself.
Donalds and Burgum are both considered possible vice presidential candidates for Trump.
Trump speaks at hush money trial
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Trump speaks ahead of closing arguments
Closing arguments are underway in Trump’s hush money trial. The former presidents speaks outside of the courtroom.
Earlier, Trump spoke to reporters as he made his way into the courtroom.
The former president carried a sheet of paper and read quotes off of it from political and legal commentators who have attacked the hush money case, a feature Trump has made a regular part of his trial routine. He called Judge Juan M. Merchan "corrupt" and "conflicted" but said he couldn’t speak about it because of the gag order.
"We’ll see how it goes. This is a very dangerous day for America. It’s a very sad day," Trump said.
He was accompanied by three of his children, Don Jr., Eric and Tiffany, along with one of his de facto campaign managers Susie Wiles.
RELATED: Trump hush money trial: Insights from previous high-profile cases
Trump hush money trial
Prosecutors say the former president falsified internal business records to cover up hush money payments tied to a scheme to buy and bury negative stories that potentially threatened his 2016 presidential bid.
He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all 34 felony counts.
Closing arguments are expected to last all day Tuesday, with jury deliberations beginning as soon as Wednesday.
This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.