Robert De Niro expressed support for the potential presidencies of Pete Buttigieg and Michael Bloomberg, contrasting them to President Trump, whom he described as a “genuine loser.”
Appearing on MSNBC’s AM Joy on Saturday, the acclaimed actor and director said that if Trump fails to win reelection, the United States needs a president that can show the country is “growing up” and “repairing the damage that has been done.”
“Personally, I think somebody like Buttigieg would be capable of doing that,” De Niro said of the 37-year-old South Bend, Indiana, mayor. “He’s young, but he’s got all the qualifications.”
Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, filed to have his name on the Alabama ballot along with other Democratic contenders, although he hasn’t announced his candidacy for president.
De Niro said that Bloomberg, 77, has the potential to be a good president, citing his experience running the city and his business acumen.
“He’s a grown-up, and he’s run this city for three terms,” De Niro said. “He’s an executive. He hasn’t done everything perfectly, but he’s very, very good; he’ll get us out of this mess.”
De Niro pointed out that Bloomberg has not reached out to him for his support, but he noted they have talked about the presidency in the past.
“I think he sees right now that he has to jump in because he has to jump in,” he said.
When asked if the country would benefit from another billionaire from New York as president, De Niro took shots at the president.
“But Trump is not a billionaire. He is a fake president,” De Niro said. “Everything that he says negative about other things or other people is what he is saying about himself, so he is fake. He is a loser. He is a genuine loser.”
“He’s just a total huckster, he’s a hustler,” De Niro added.
De Niro was in the news recently after one of his former staffers filed a $12 million lawsuit for gender discrimination and wage violations. The accuser, Graham Chase Robinson, alleges that the actor fostered a hostile work environment that included bullying and sexually charged language.
