The Oscar-winning actor, Robert De Niro came heavily on United States President Donald Trump, calling him a “lunatic, who doesn’t care how many people die” from novel coronavirus, Washington Post reported.

The actor made the comments while appearing on BBC’s “Newsnight” Tuesday and narrated his ordeal about the “surreal” experience of living in New York during the outbreak. Showing his disgust over the country’s mismanagement, he said: "It's kind of like a science-fiction movie, but it's real."

"It's Shakespearean, the whole thing," De Niro said. "You've got a lunatic saying things that people are trying to dance around. It's appalling. He wants to be re-elected. He doesn't even care how many people die."

"Newsnight" host Emily Maitlis pushed back, suggesting the president's followers would disagree with De Niro and vote for Trump again anyway. "He doesn't care for those people, and the people who he pretends to care about are the people he has the most disdain for," the actor responded. "They might like to tell themselves or to delude themselves, but he doesn't care about them."

However, it is not the first time De Niro has criticized Trump vehemently, he has been outspoken about the President even before 2016.

The actor had also taken part in a #VoteYourFuture campaign video urging people to vote, his clip had been deemed too partisan to include in the final cut. In his portion, released separately, he didn't hold back, calling Trump "blatantly stupid," "a punk," and "a con."

"I'd like to punch him in the face," he added.

De Niro also made headlines again in 2018 when he took the stage at the Tony Awards to introduce a performance by Bruce Springsteen, but also used the platform to criticize Trump, as per the Washington Post report.

De Niro said: "It's no longer 'down with Trump,' it's 'f--- Trump." He received a standing ovation from the crowd at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

Trump customarily took to Twitter afterward to reciprocate a war of words with the actor, addressing him in a tweet: "Robert De Niro, a very Low IQ individual, has received too many shots to the head by real boxers in movies. I watched him last night and truly believe he may be 'punch-drunk.' I guess he doesn't realize the economy is the best it's ever been with employment being at an all-time high, and many companies pouring back into our country. Wake up Punchy!," NDTV reported.

De Niro had also compared Trump with gangsters and said: "Even gangsters have morals and they have ethics. They have a code, and you know when you give somebody your word, it's your word, because it's all you have is your word. This guy, he doesn't even know what that means," NDTV report added.

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