Robert De Niro Still Wants to Punch Donald Trump in the Face

A threat against a sitting President has to be taken seriously. They should go after De Niro

Last summer, after Trump had accepted the Republican nomination, the actor called him “totally nuts,” adding “God help us.” Two months later, in a leaked “Get Out the Vote” campaign video, he added, “He talks how he’d like to punch people in the face? Well, I’d like to punch him in the face.”

The day after the election, De Niro admitted that he probably would not get the opportunity to sock Trump in the mouth, but his ire towards the 45th president of the United States has barely subsided since then. And it was on full display when he visited The View on Friday morning to promote his new film, The Comedian.

Asked by host Joy Behar about his threat of violence towards then-candidate Trump, De Niro explained, “I said that because he said that about somebody, that he would like to punch them in the face. How dare he say that to the crowd? How dare he say the things he does? Of course I want to punch him in the face.”

“It was only a symbolic thing, anyway. It wasn't like I was going to go find him and punch him in the face,” the actor clarified. “But he’s got to hear it. He’s got to hear that, you know, that’s how he makes people feel. It’s not good to feel that way. It’s not good to start that stuff up, but at the same time sometimes when people are bullies like that, that’s what you have to do to shut them up. Bully them back.”