At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, 87-year-old Robert De Niro accepted an honorary Palme d’Or — and used his spotlight to take aim at the US President Donald Trump.
De Niro arrived on the red carpet with his girlfriend Tiffany Chen and daughter Helen Grace.
The award was presented by Leonardo DiCaprio, marking a full-circle moment for De Niro, who was Jury President in 2011.
During his speech, De Niro didn’t hold back.
He said, “In my country, we are fighting like [expletive] for the democracy we once took for granted”.
De Niro blasted Trump as a “philistine president” and criticized his role at the Kennedy Center and recent tariffs on foreign films.“This isn’t just an American problem, it’s a global one,” he warned, urging the public to protest and vote: “We have to act now — with passion and determination.”
Reactions from online users were mixed, with some praising his courage and others calling him out of touch. As always, De Niro stirred debate — and made sure people were listening.
