White House Official and Hollywood Star Clash in Public Feud

A fierce public dispute erupted between veteran actor Robert De Niro and senior White House adviser Stephen Miller, marked by deeply personal insults and inflammatory historical comparisons. The exchange, which played out across rival cable news networks, highlighted the intensely polarized political climate and the increasingly confrontational relationship between the Trump administration and prominent figures in the entertainment industry.

The conflict was ignited during De Niro’s appearance on an MSNBC panel for the show “The Weekend.” While discussing the political landscape, the two-time Academy Award winner turned his attention to Stephen Miller, then serving as President Trump’s deputy chief of staff. De Niro drew a direct and controversial parallel, stating that Miller reminded him of Adolf Hitler’s chief propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, and proceeded to call the White House official a “Nazi.” The comparison to one of the Third Reich’s most infamous figures immediately escalated the rhetoric of the segment.

During the same discussion, De Niro voiced strong support for New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), whose office was engaged in legal battles involving President Trump. “I like what Letitia James is doing, she’s fighting back, she’s saying, ‘F— you,’” De Niro stated, prompting audible gasps from others present. He quickly added, “I’m sorry. This is where we are. She’s saying, ‘This is it. I will not be taken down by this person. I am not afraid of him.’ And God bless her for that.”

De Niro also leveled sharp criticism directly at President Trump, questioning his character and intentions. He suggested that Trump “will not want to leave” office after completing a potential second term. “I don’t know where — what he is, but he’s an alien, and he wants to hurt this country,” the actor asserted. “It’s something deeply psychological in him, he wants to hurt people. He wants to hurt this country, doesn’t care.”

Miller Fires Back on Fox News

In a swift and equally harsh rebuttal, Stephen Miller appeared on the Fox News program “Hannity” on the following Wednesday to respond to De Niro’s comments. When host Sean Hannity raised the subject of the actor’s MSNBC appearance, Miller launched a sustained personal attack on De Niro, focusing on his professional career and perceived public standing.

Miller referred to “The Godfather Part II” star as “a sad, bitter, broken old man who is mostly enraged because he has not made a movie worth watching in at least 30 years.” He continued his critique of the actor’s filmography, calling it “probably the longest string of flops, failures, embarrassments.”

The White House official’s denunciation grew more personal as he continued. “This man has been degrading himself on camera with one horrific film after another for my entire adult life, and he’s not taken seriously by anybody, not by his family, not by his friends, not by his community,” Miller declared. He concluded his assessment by stating, “He is a shell of a man and everyone disregards everything he says.” Miller’s response represented a direct counter-offensive from the administration, shifting the focus from policy and political criticism to a personal takedown of a cultural icon.

A History of Confrontational Rhetoric

This incident was not the first time Robert De Niro had employed profane and aggressive language to voice his opposition to President Trump and his allies. The actor had established himself as one of the administration’s most vocal and unrelenting critics from its earliest days.

A notable prior instance occurred in September 2019 during an interview with Brian Stelter, then a host at CNN. When Stelter mentioned that De Niro was facing pushback for his rhetoric from various personalities on Fox News, the actor’s response was blunt and dismissive.

“F— them,” De Niro replied twice.

When Stelter pressed him on his choice of words, asking why he chose “to go that way,” De Niro defended his stance by framing the situation in grave terms. ”We are at a moment in this country where this guy is like a gangster,” he answered, referring to President Trump. “He’s said things, done things. We say over and over again, ‘This is terrible. We’re in a terrible situation.’ We’re in a terrible situation, and this guy keeps going on and on and on without being stopped.” This earlier exchange underscored a pattern of combative public statements that characterized De Niro’s approach to political commentary during the Trump presidency. The feud with Miller served as another chapter in this ongoing, high-profile clash between Hollywood and Washington.