‘BANALITY OF EVIL’

Robert De Niro Compares His Scorsese Villain to ‘Stupid’ Trump

The actor initially avoided naming the former president during a press conference at Cannes, but later circled back and insulted him in direct terms.

Robert De Niro drew parallels between a convicted murderer—the real-life basis for his character in Martin Scorsese’s forthcoming Killers of the Flower Moon—and Donald Trump, noting “the banality of evil” in both men. At a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, De Niro admitted he’d struggled to connect with the role of William Hale, the cattleman who orchestrated the murders of several members of the indigenous Osage Nation in the 1920s. “I don’t understand a lot about my character,” he said. “Part of him is sincere. The other part, where he’s betraying [the Osage people], there’s a feeling of entitlement. It’s the banality of evil. It’s the thing we have to watch out for. We see it today, of course.” Without naming Trump, he continued, “We all know who I’m going to talk about. but I’m not going to say the name. That guy is stupid. Imagine if you’re smart. Even Hale was smart in many ways.” Returning to the subject shortly after, De Niro addressed Trump in more direct terms. “[Hale] felt he was loved by people, and some people did love him,” he said. “Look at Trump and there are people who think he could do a good job. Imagine that, how insane that is.”