Surrounded by officers who responded to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, actor Robert De Niro campaigned on behalf of President Joe Biden outside of a New York courtroom as former President Donald Trump's trial continued on Tuesday.
De Niro's appearance coincided with the release of a Biden-Harris advertisement that included officers involved in the response to the Capitol insurrection.
Speaking to reporters, De Niro referred to Trump as a "clown" and a "playboy."
"He got the most religious evangelicals to applaud a sinner," De Niro said, "who bragged about sexual assault and just a couple of blocks from here, a jury found him liable for sexual abuse. Somehow, he even got self-styled patriots to support a man who called for terminating the Constitution, and on Jan. 6, rallied an angry mob to threaten democracy, leaving death and destruction in its wake. That's why I needed to be involved and wanted to be involved in the new Biden-Harris ad because it shows the violence of Trump."
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Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, officer Harry Dunn and officer Daniel “Danny” Hodges will be among those campaigning for President Biden in key battleground states in the weeks leading up to the June 27 presidential debate," the Biden campaign said.
"I came here today to remind Americans of what Donald Trump is capable of the and violence that he unleashed on all Americans on Jan. 6, 2021," said former Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone.
As Trump has faced mounting legal battles, the Biden campaign and the White House have largely shied away from Trump's legal proceedings. Instead, President Biden and the campaign have lobbed broad attacks on Trump, calling him a threat to democracy.
But sending campaign surrogates to speak outside the courtroom showed a new strategy for the Biden campaign.
Meanwhile, Trump deployed backers of his own to hammer the Biden campaign for its campaign event.
"Why is Joe Biden now making this a campaign event after months of weaponizing the legal system against President Trump?" asked Trump adviser Jason Miller. "Because Joe Biden's numbers are in the tank."
Miller added, "Biden is losing nationality. He's losing every single battleground state and President Trump's numbers continue to rise, and the best that Biden can do is roll out a washed-up actor."
