FIRST ON FOX: Actor Robert De Niro was in the nation's capital Wednesday sitting in the same crowded courtroom as President Donald Trump and some of his closest advisors during oral arguments by the Supreme Court about birthright citizenship.
Fox News Digital caught up with De Niro as he was exiting the courthouse, but De Niro said he did not have any perspective on how the arguments went.
"I'm waiting to get a, getting a – I'm not sure because I could hear, but not hear. It's complicated. So, I can't say," De Niro responded when asked about the High Court's oral arguments he had just witnessed. Meanwhile, De Niro described the Trump administration's argument on the matter – which is that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens – as a way for Republicans to "get rid of people they don't want."
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"It's that simple," De Niro said.
The actor and activist, who was recently seen speaking at a "No Kings" protest in New York City over the weekend, has been criticized for his anti-Trump rhetoric. He has called the president "a piece of sh--t," a "nasty little b--h," a "petulant little punk," has said he'd "like to punch him in the face," and declared Trump an "enemy" of the United States.
When asked about claims he has "Trump Derangement Syndrome," sometimes referred to by the acronym "TDS," De Niro called it "nonsense."
"People don't like him for a reason," De Niro shot back. "All the terrible things he's done – if he did nice things, then he could have, he had the chance – he became president – to do nice things, not hateful, retribution, not – just, outright mean things. If he did nice things, people would love him. But he's got a problem. He's damaged."
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Asked about what specifically bothered him about Trump, De Niro said "everything."
"Everything that we all know now," De Niro added.
Reporting from Wednesday indicated that the Supreme Court appeared ready to reject Trump's argument on birthright citizenship. The arguments reportedly lasted over two hours, and, in addition to Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi was present, as was Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
De Niro reportedly sat in seats reserved for the justices' guests, according to the Associated Press.
"When the crowds are chanting ‘No Kings,’ what I'm really hearing – as we all know – is ‘No Trump.’ There have been other presidents who have tested the constitutional limits of their power, but none have been such an existential threat to our freedoms and security – none – except Trump," De Niro told supporters at the No Kings rally he attended over the weekend. "He must be stopped and he must be stopped now," De Niro added calling members of Trump's cabinet "goons."
