Staff Reports
It was quite the spectacle outside the New York courthouse during President Trump’s trial, which seemed more like a circus than a legal proceeding. While the grand drama of the courtroom stayed inside, outside stood our favorite actor-turned-political-commentator, Robert De Niro—ready to give the performance of a lifetime, or rather, the fluster of a lifetime. As De Niro struggled through his impromptu speech, it became clear that facing both critics and car alarms is a far cry from the silent world of tightly scripted movies.
Robert De Niro, not exactly known for his quick wit without a script, found himself battling quite the crowd. You see, New Yorkers, being the kind souls they are, uplifted De Niro’s spirits by setting off a chorus of car alarms throughout his address. Naturally, this didn’t sit well with De Niro, who, despite his resume of playing tough guys, seemed quite rattled in the face of this noisy dissent.
Amidst the hullabaloo, De Niro voiced his oh-so-original concerns about Trump wanting to become “dictator for life,” as if Robert hadn’t already laid such claims on repeat. Maybe he thought being the town crier was a role worth taking on post-acting career? It’s almost as if he likes to forget that he’s made a living out of playing roles that glorify the very chaos he now denounces. And right there, where irony meets comedy, was our Robert De Niro, flustered and quite out of his element.
But what truly took the acting cake was De Niro’s bizarre choice of footwear. His shoes, allegedly from the ‘Robert De Niro special collection,’ were said to add a few inches to his stature—a necessity, perhaps, for a man whose arguments need all the help they can get to stand tall. As he attempted to exit the scene, it was clear his Hollywood charm was lost on the unforgiving New York streets.
And in the backdrop of this drama, our less catchy protagonist, Jason Miller, came into the fray. Quite the oxymoron, right? One might think such a puzzling label would require evidence, but hey, why let facts get in the way of a good fictional narrative? Miller, not known to back down, was rightfully frustrated, though as we all too often see, intellectual sparring isn’t exactly De Niro’s forte.
It’s a peculiar world where former actors stagger through the political arena and folks with stronger stories to tell are left to be deciphered amid the racket. De Niro’s roaring speech seemed more like an audition for relevance than a sincere call to order. And there it is, our grand political scene—a mix of unintentional slapstick comedy and relentless drama. And just as we get used to one act, another is sure to stand waiting in the wings.
