Did Robert De Niro leave the USA in the aftermath of Trump's victory? Viral post debunked
Rumors of Robert De Niro leaving the country after Donald Trump won the 2024 U.S. presidential elections have been circulating online. The claims began after Facebook user @The Patriots Network claimed that the actor left the country after it saw a "massive red wave." It also shared a fake quote by De Niro, saying:
"Not worth living here now."
However, the rumors are not true. The post included an image of the quote, which featured a warning, "This is a 'Fictional Quote.'" It further said:
"Nothing on this page is real. If you believe anything we post, then you're potato crop."
The Facebook page @The Patriots Network's profile also says it is a "satire and parody" account.
A comment by the account left under the post alleged that De Niro was worried that after winning the elections, Trump would expose the Epstein list that contains his name. (Epstein was a financier and s*x offender).
@The Patriots Network's post builds on a July 2024 article by Space X Mania, a similar website that posts parody news. It claimed that the actor asserted he would leave the United States if Trump was elected to office.
The parody article has built up on Robert De Niro's vocal criticism of Donald Trump
According to the parody article by Space X Mania, Robert De Niro, in an interview with a "prominent news outlet," stated:
"If the 45th president returns to the White House, I will leave this country for good. I cannot stay in a place where such a person is in power. It’s a matter of principle and moral responsibility.
"This isn’t about politics as usual. This is about the soul of our nation. We have seen the damage that has been done, and to endure another term would be unbearable. I love America, but I love it too much to stay silent and complicit."
Space X Mania's article used Robert De Niro's vocal criticism of Donald Trump. During a September 2024 appearance on Who's Talking to Chris Wallace, the actor told the host that if Trump was elected, he would never give up his position as POTUS. When questioned if he had ever met Trump, De Niro responded:
"No. I never wanted anything to do with him. He’s a jerk, an idiot. Who wants to meet a clown like that?"
The actor said that Trump "did not have the right intentions" and even called him a "gangster."
The same month, in an interview with Deadline, the Goodfellas star again criticized president-elect Trump, saying the latter "couldn't do anything that had a structure." De Niro claimed Trump wanted to "destroy the country." At the time, he also remarked that Republicans who supported Trump were not real Republicans.
In June, the National Association of Broadcasters was set to give Robert De Niro a leadership award. However, the institute rescinded it after the actor spoke against Trump during the latter's criminal trial. At the time, De Niro told reporters:
"We’ve forgotten the lessons of history that showed us other clowns who weren’t taken seriously until they became vicious dictators. With Trump, we have a second chance and no one is laughing now. This is the time to stop him by voting him out once and for all."
The National Association of Broadcasters defended their decision in a statement made to the Hill. It explained that Robert De Niro's political stance would take the spotlight away from the group's philanthropic work. The actor, for his part, accepted their decision and promised to continue supporting it.
