Robert De Niro apologized to Canadians for President Trump’s tough talk on trade and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, one day after the actor repeatedly declared “fuck Trump” to cheers at the Tony Awards.
Appearing at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Nobu hotel in Toronto on Monday, De Niro told the crowd that he was sorry for the “idiotic behavior of my president.”
The actor said Trump’s comments were a “disgrace.”
[Related: Michael Hayden: Trump made himself look ‘unstable, erratic, and thin-skinned’ with Trudeau insults]
After the conclusion of the Group of Seven summit in Quebec over the weekend, Trump called Trudeau “very dishonest and weak.” He was backed up by members of his administration, including economic adviser Larry Kudlow, who flooded the zone on the Sunday morning talk show circuit, accusing Trudeau of stabbing Trump in the back. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro took the rhetoric to an extreme, saying there is a “special place in hell” for Trudeau after he engaged in “bad faith diplomacy.”
The Trump team’s attacks were prompted by Trudeau holding a press conference after Trump left Canada, in which he stated that all of the member nations of the G-7, including the U.S., had signed a communique dedicated to lowering tariffs and other trade barriers. He also threatened retaliatory tariffs for those the U.S. “unjustly” slapped on Canada and emphasized that Canadians “will not be pushed around.”
However, Trump claimed to have informed U.S. officials not to affirm the communique signed by G-7 members.
After the post-G-7 fireworks, De Niro took the stage Sunday evening at the 72nd annual Tony Awards in Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and got a standing ovation when he repeatedly said “fuck Trump.”
The actor, known for his roles in “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas,” and the “Godfather” series, was introducing a performance by Bruce Springsteen.
“I’m gonna say one thing: Fuck Trump,” De Niro said. “It’s no longer ‘Down with Trump’; it’s ‘Fuck Trump.'”
CBS bleeped out the profanity, but the feed in Australia apparently was not censored.
Here’s video of DeNiro swearing at Trump on #TonyAwards
Australian feed didnt censor it. pic.twitter.com/KZNrT8UIyH— Rhett Bartlett (@dialmformovies) June 11, 2018
De Niro has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s. Earlier this year, for instance, he called Trump “fucking idiot” and a “fucking fool” at the National Board of Review’s annual awards gala. He also took on the role of special counsel Robert Mueller grilling Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen in multiple skits for “Saturday Night Live” this past season.
Last month he suggested that Trump was barred from his Nobu restaurants and hotel, though his representative later clarified that no one was banned.
