Last week, world renowned actor Robert De Niro appeared on CNN to discuss Fox News’ biased coverage of President Trump. The interview took a dramatic turn when De Niro was asked about Fox News’ criticism of him. The film icon angrily responded with “f**k’em. f**k’ em.” 

The interviewer, somewhat uncomfortable, replied “This is cable, so it’s not an FCC violation, but it is still a Sunday morning.” Though De Niro did apologize and this is certainly not the first time he’s sworn on live TV, his comments gained worldwide attention, both positive and negative. 

While some believed it to be inappropriate, others praised De Niro for his open defiance of Fox News using their network to push Trump’s agenda and slander his detractors. While I understand why some would consider De Niro’s words to be in poor taste, I believe he simply illustrated his frustration with Fox News as the organization blatantly and consistently does the bidding of President Trump. 

De Niro has long been one of Trump’s fiercest critics, describing him as “like a gangster… we say over and over again, ‘this is terrible!’ We’re in a terrible situation.” I, along with most people, don’t disagree. 

Every day Trump is president, our nation gets weaker. We can all learn something from De Niro, as it is our fundamental right as Americans to speak out when our government is not doing its job. 

Though we don’t need to use profanity, we do need to emphasize we will not tolerate Trump’s behavior anymore. With impeachment looming, President Trump is sure to use every underhanded tactic he can to stay in office. Only when he is no longer in office can we begin to repair the damage he’s done. 

Hopefully, whenever that is, the presidency will no longer be synonymous with childish attacks and unabashed racism. To conclude, I ask the question: did Robert De Niro really say anything worse than the Commander in Chief said just this month?