Robert De Niro Mentions Donald Trump During His Palme d'Or Acceptance Speech at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival

The 81-year-old actor returned to the Cannes spotlight with more than just applause awaiting him. He delivered a bold political message, making a rare family appearance, and reflecting on a festival he called "home" amid global division.

On May 13, 2025, acclaimed American star, director, and producer Robert De Niro received an honorary Palme d'Or for lifetime achievement during the opening ceremony of the 78th Festival de Cannes.

He was presented with the award by the "Titanic" star, Leonardo DiCaprio. The recognition comes 14 years after Robert served as Jury President at the prestigious film festival in 2011.

During his acceptance speech, Robert addressed political developments in the United States, specifically referencing President Donald Trump.

He began by stating, "In my country, we are fighting like [expletive] for the democracy we once took for granted." He added, "That affects all of us here because the arts are democratic."

Robert emphasized the connection between the arts and democratic values, "That's why we are a threat to autocrats and fascists."

He continued his remarks by pointing to the U.S. President's recent appointment and policy proposals. "America's philistine president has had himself appointed head of one of our premier cultural institutions," Robert said, referring to the POTUS being named chair of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The "Goodfellas" alum also criticized the 47th U.S. President's announcement of new tariffs, stating, "He has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities, and education, and now he has announced a 100 per cent tariff on films that are produced outside the US."

After a brief pause, he told the crowd, "Let that sink in for a minute."

Calling the situation unacceptable, Robert urged action beyond American borders. "All these attacks are unacceptable. And this isn't just an American problem, it's a global one," he said.

He closed this portion of his speech with a call to action. "Like a film, we can't just all sit back and watch. We have to act, and we have to act now without violence but with great passion and determination. It's time for anyone who cares about liberty to organise, to protest, and when there are elections, of course, to vote."

As expected, Robert's speech drew a wide range of reactions on social media platforms. On TikTok, several comments captured the intensity of his message.

One person wrote, "Who hurt him?" Another added, "A man with courage." A third commented, "Words are powerful when spoken with conviction."

Meanwhile, on Facebook, opinions varied significantly. One netizen wrote, "Very well said. Powerful speech." Another commented, "Shame on him."

A different person reacted by saying, "This guy is insane Out of touch completely [sic]," while someone else noted, "So disrespectful [sic]."

There were also supportive remarks, including, "Very well spoken by Mr DeNiro. We need to take this seriously and fight back." However, criticism continued with another stating, "He is a joke."

In the lead-up to the event, Robert had shared his thoughts on receiving the honor. "I have such close feelings for Festival de Cannes…" he declared. "Especially now when there's so much in the world pulling us apart, Cannes brings us together — storytellers, filmmakers, fans, and friends. It's like coming home."

He was accompanied on the red carpet by his 45-year-old girlfriend, Tiffany Chen. Also present with the couple was his daughter, Helen Grace.

His daughter was born via surrogate in December 2011. At the time, Robert's representative confirmed to People magazine that he and his then-wife, Grace Hightower, had welcomed a baby girl.

She weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces at birth and is the former couple's second child, joining her older brother, Elliot.

At the time of Helen's birth, Robert was a father to four other children: daughter Drena and son Raphael with former wife Diahnne Abbott, as well as twin sons Julian and Aaron, born via surrogate with ex-girlfriend Toukie Smith.

Last year (August 2024), Drena shared an Instagram carousel of images and a playful video of her father as he marked his 81st birthday. The movie star made waves by jumping off a yacht, leaving fans buzzing with mixed reactions.

In the fun video, the shirtless "Taxi Driver" star took a daring leap off a yacht into the ocean, sporting nothing but a pair of red-and-blue striped swim shorts.

Drena captioned the now-deleted Instagram carousel of images and a video, "Happy 81st Bday to my Dad and #1 ride or die .. Love you with all my ♥️♥️♥️ #BobbyD forever ✨👑✨."

The visuals of Robert's birthday dive drew a wide range of responses, including those from people wishing him a happy birthday.

A person pointed out how great the actor looked, "Happy birthday to the OG!!!!! May we all look this good at this age! Godless." Another fan praised Robert for living his life fully, "Awesome Good for him Age is only a number Live Life [sic]."

Someone else admired his daring act with, "That dive! Omg." However, some expressed concern, with one commenting, "I don't think he's ok … that's a bad landing for an 81 year old man. 36 feet, bro thinks he turned 18."

A netizen added, "That second slide gave me anxiety! 🤣🤣🎂" A few people were less enthusiastic, saying, "Really Don't want to see old man body" and another person declared that Robert looked "shriveled."

In the now-deleted Instagram carousel of images and a video that garnered several comments, Robert dived in head first but ended up landing on his back. Drena is heard asking him, "He's so crazy. Oh my God. Oh my God. Are you alright?"

Once he resurfaced, Robert answered, "I'm Okay." Drena asked how many feet her father had jumped from and she was told, "36 feet." The actress voiced to Robert that he was "crazy" for the epic leap.

Even in his 80s, the actor still takes daring leaps in his personal and professional life. The actor, who turned 81 on August 17, 2024, is still passionate about his work and is not looking forward to leaving the industry any time soon. In 2024, he earned his ninth Oscar nomination for his role in the western-crime film "Killers of the Flower Moon."

This nomination elevated him into an exclusive group of just 17 performers in Hollywood history who have achieved eight or more acting nominations, alongside icons like Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington.

Robert was busy working on the set of his then-upcoming Netflix series, "Zero Day" when he received word of his latest nomination.

He noted that it was wonderful to be recognized at this point in his career but that he didn't take a moment to pop champagne and celebrate. According to Robert, the reward is the work he does as he also isn't ready to retire at the moment. "I enjoy it," he added.

In his older years, Robert is also keen on family time. The movie star welcomed his youngest child, Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, in 2023. He shares his daughter with his partner, martial arts instructor Tiffany.

"I'm an 80-year-old dad and it's great. Everything that I'm consumed with or worried about or this or that just goes away when I look at her," he gushed.

The actor got emotional talking about his seventh child, terming the whole experience as "wondrous." "She has a very sweet kind of way of looking at you and just taking you in," he added. Robert wants to be around for as long as he can to enjoy fatherhood and time with Gia.

At 81, Robert remains deeply committed to both his family and his work, balancing his passion for acting with the joys of fatherhood.

And it's not all serious, Robert still finds time for fun, as evidenced by his recent shirtless appearance.