Robert De Niro slams Trump associates: ‘They’re around a crazy person and they’re not doing anything. This is like Shakespeare’

‘What could be worth it to them, to sacrifice their souls?’

Robert De Niro has said that he is “nonplussed, dumbfounded and confounded” by the actions of US president Donald Trump.

Speaking to Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, the veteran actor also voiced his anger at Trump’s aides and associates.

“It’s crazy. What’s scary about it all is the Republicans, and [Trump’s] enablers around him, are not doing anything,” he said. “They’re around a crazy person and they’re not doing anything. They’re not standing up to him.”

He continued: “As an actor, I watch this, and I say: ‘This is like Shakespeare.’ This is incredible. Nobody has the balls to stand up to this guy.

“What could be worth it to them, to sacrifice their souls? To make this deal with the devil to work with this guy.”

Several of William Shakespeare’s famous plays, such as King Lear, feature senile or power-crazed leaders and spineless or duplicitous underlings.

De Niro has long been an outspoken critic of the current US government. In an interview last year, he called the president a “nasty little b****”, and insisted he would refuse to ever portray him on film.

He also told The Independent he believes Trump “could start a war to get a third term” in office.

The Taxi Driver star also used his appearance to discuss the ongoing pandemic, comparing the situation in New York to the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“They were disastrous situations, of different sorts, obviously,” he said. “As [New York Governor Andrew] Cuomo’s saying, you learn from those experiences. There’s some common things you can use for this national tragedy.”