Robert De Niro Mentions Donald Trump During His Palme d’Or Acceptance Speech at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival

On May 13, 2025, acclaimed American star, director, and producer Robert De Niro received an honorary Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement during the opening ceremony of the 78th Festival de Cannes.

The actor was presented with the award by the “Titanic” star, Leonardo DiCaprio. The recognition comes 14 years after Robert served as Jury President at the prestigious film festival in 2011.

During his acceptance speech, Robert addressed political developments in the United States, specifically referencing President Donald Trump.

He began by stating, “In my country, we are fighting like [expletive] for the democracy we once took for granted.” He added, “That affects all of us here because the arts are democratic.”

Robert emphasized the connection between the arts and democratic values, “That’s why we are a threat to autocrats and fascists.”

He continued his remarks by pointing to the U.S. President’s recent appointment and policy proposals. “America’s philistine president has had himself appointed head of one of our premier cultural institutions,” Robert said, referring to the POTUS being named chair of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The “Goodfellas” alum also criticized the 47th U.S. President’s announcement of new tariffs, stating, “He has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities, and education, and now he has announced a 100 per cent tariff on films that are produced outside the US.”

After a brief pause, he told the crowd, “Let that sink in for a minute.”

Calling the situation unacceptable, Robert urged action beyond American borders. “All these attacks are unacceptable. And this isn’t just an American problem, it’s a global one,” he said.

He closed this portion of his speech with a call to action. “Like a film, we can’t just all sit back and watch. We have to act, and we have to act now without violence but with great passion and determination. It’s time for anyone who cares about liberty to organise, to protest, and when there are elections, of course, to vote.”

As expected, Robert’s speech drew a wide range of reactions on social media platforms. On TikTok, several comments captured the intensity of his message.

One person wrote, “Who hurt him?” Another added, “A man with courage.” A third commented, “Words are powerful when spoken with conviction.” Meanwhile, on Facebook, opinions varied significantly. One netizen wrote, “Very well said. Powerful speech.” Another commented, “Shame on him.”

A different person reacted by saying, “This guy is insane Out of touch completely [sic],” while someone else noted, “So disrespectful [sic].” There were also supportive remarks, including, “Very well spoken by Mr DeNiro. We need to take this seriously and fight back.” However, criticism continued with another stating, “He is a joke.”

The video of Robert De Niro’s full speech is below.

The actor was accompanied on the red carpet by his 45-year-old girlfriend, Tiffany Chen. His daughter, Helen Grace, was also present at the event. Here are their best photos.