Robert De Niro slams Donald Trump's film tariffs proposal at Cannes Film Festival
Robert De Niro slams Donald Trump's film tariffs proposal at Cannes Film Festival
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Biden, Trump campaigns show up outside court
Actor Robert De Niro made a surprise appearance outside Donald Trump's hush money trial to show support for President Joe Biden.
Robert De Niro hit the Cannes red carpet in a rare public appearance with partner Tiffany Chen, and he also used his time at the annual film festival to call out President Donald Trump.
De Niro and Chen, who share 2-year-old daughter Gia Virginia, were spotted in the south of France on May 13 at the start of Cannes, where he received the Honorary Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) award, a lifetime achievement honor recognizing directors and actors who haven't won a Palme d'Or in competition.
The two previously stepped out together at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023, months after they welcomed their then-newborn. The pair were photographed in June 2023 holding hands on the red carpet at the film festival in New York City as they attended a screening of "Kiss the Future."
During his Cannes acceptance speech, De Niro took Trump to task for his proposed film tariff, calling the president a "philistine." Trump previously announced in a May 4 social media post that he was authorizing the U.S. Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to "begin the process of instituting a 100% tariff" on all foreign-made films.
Trump "has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education. And now he has announced the 100% tariff on films produced outside the U.S.," De Niro said. "You can't put a price on creativity, but apparently, you can put a tariff on it."
The Oscar-winning actor, 81, also called on "everyone who cares about liberty" to protest against Trump.
It was unclear if Trump's proposed tariffs would apply to movies on streaming services as well as those shown in theaters, or if they would be calculated based on production costs or box office revenue. Trump added during a May 5 event in the Oval Office that his administration would first consult the movie industry.
However, the White House appeared to walk back Trump's remarks in a statement that same day. White House spokesman Kush Desai said no final decision on the matter had been made, while also adding that the administration is "exploring all options" to execute Trump's directive to "safeguard our country's national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again."
Make Hollywood Great Again? Trump wants to slap tariffs on foreign-produced movies
Movie legends from Tom Cruise to Denzel Washington will gather in Cannes this week for the 78th incarnation of its film festival, as the industry tries to shake off worries over dwindling audiences and threatened U.S. tariffs.
The Cannes appearance comes two weeks after De Niro's daughter, Airyn, came out as transgender in an April 29 interview. The actor shares twins Airyn and Julian with actress-model Toukie Smith, whom he never married.
De Niro is also dad to adopted daughter Drena and son Raphael from his first marriage to actress Diahnne Abbott. And he shares son Elliot, 27, and daughter Helen Grace, 13, with actress Grace Hightower, whom he wed in 1997 and separated from in 2018. He is also a grandfather.
Contributing: Charlie Trepany, Zac Anderson, George Petras and Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY; Miranda Murray and Hanna Rantala, Reuters
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