Actor Robert De Niro took a jab at President Joe Biden at the annual Kennedy Center Honors, but it was former President Donald Trump who blasted the “Taxi Driver” star.
De Niro, 80, made an age joke about Biden while he was paying tribute to “When Harry Met Sally” star Billy Crystal at the ceremony on Sunday.
“You’re only 75 – that means you’re just about six years away from being the perfect age to be elected president,” he quipped as Biden wagged his finger at him reproachfully from the presidential box.
According to the Daily Mail, Biden had made a joke about Crystal promising not to run against him in the primaries, “because he would win,” while attending a reception for the event’s honorees at the White House earlier in the day.
Biden wags his finger at Robert De Niro for jibe at his age as Rita Moreno, 91, says such talk is 'f***king boring' as Kennedy Center honors Billy Crystal, Queen Latifah and Dionne Warwick https://t.co/lmjMAyeyCH pic.twitter.com/YDHAtjUxQN
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) December 4, 2023
“West Side Story” actress Riga Moreno, 91, brushed off age related concerns about the president while on the red carpet leading up to the ceremony.
“I’m older than he is. I could be president to come to think of it,” she remarked.
“I think that because it’s like an elderly person, they don’t think this is working,’ she said while tapping her noggin.
As for Biden’s level of fitness, she only had praise. “He looks fabulous. He’s happy as a clam. I don’t know how he does it,” Moreno added.
However, she is concerned that “misperception” about Biden’s advanced age is going to dissuade voters from reelecting him next year.
“There’s a misperception and the other side is taking advantage that scares me, because the other side is pretty ruthless,” Moreno noted.
“I hope that isn’t what’s on the minds of good Americans.”
While De Niro may have targeted Biden at the 46th annual Kennedy Center Honors, which will air on CBS at the end of the month, it was Trump who went on the offensive.
The 45th President called De Niro a “total loser” on his social media platform, Truth Social,” in the wake of the actor’s remarks about him at the Gotham Awards.
De Niro went off script while introducing his and Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest flick, “Killers Of The Flower Moon,” which won an award at the ceremony.
He seemed to stumble at the beginning of his speech, robotically reading off the teleprompter in confusion.
De Niro stopped at one point and claimed that the ceremony had edited his original speech, which he proceeded to read off of his phone directly.
He complained that facts of history were “being replaced by alternative facts and driven by conspiracy theories and ugliness.”
The actor went after Trump for being a liar and calling Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “Pocahontas,” over her self-touted Native American ancestry.
“The former President lied to us more than 30,000 times during his four years in office,” he hissed.
“And he’s keeping up the pace in his current campaign of retribution. But in all his lies, he can’t hide his soul,’ De Niro preached to the audience.
“He attacks the weak, destroys the gifts of nature and shows disrespect by, for example, using Pocahontas as a slur.”
President Trump trashes Robert De Niro on Sunday evening Truth post. pic.twitter.com/SXzjiLyTdO
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) December 4, 2023
Trump had his own furious response to the “Analyze This” star’s attacks on his character.
“Robert De Niro, whose acting talents have greatly diminished, with his reputation now shot, must even use a teleprompter for his foul and disgusting language, so disrespectful to our Country,” he posted on to Truth Social.
“He has become unwatchable both in movies, and with the FOOLS that destroyed the Academy Awards, bringing them from one of the top shows in the Country to a Low Rated afterthought,” Trump jeered.
“De Niro should focus on his life, which is a mess, rather than the lives of others,” the ex-president concluded.
“He has become a total loser, as the World watches, waits, and laughs!’