Chicago – May 15, 2025
Hollywood actor Robert De Niro has used his award acceptance speech at the Cannes Film Festival to criticize US President Donald Trump.
De Niro, 81, was receiving the Palme d’Or lifetime achievement award at the event in the south of France on Tuesday when he called Trump a “philistine president.”
“In my country, we are fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted,” said De Niro to an audience including some of the biggest names in showbiz.
“That affects all of us here, because the arts are democratic, art is inclusive and brings people together, like tonight. Art looks for truth. Art embraces diversity, and that’s why art is a threat,” added De Niro, who is an outspoken critic of the US president.
“That’s why we are a threat to autocrats and fascists. America’s philistine president has 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.
De Niro also took aim at Trump’s reported plan to impose tariffs on movies produced outside the US
“You can’t put a price on creativity, but apparently you can put a tariff on it. Of course, this is unacceptable. All of these attacks are unacceptable,” he said.
