Robert De Niro gets emotional as Amy Poehler praises him for speaking ‘truth to power’ as regular Trump critic

Actress Amy Poehler made Robert De Niro emotional on Tuesday as she thanked him for being so vocal, as the actor is a regular critic of President Donald Trump and his administration.

Poehler thanked De Niro during an interview on her podcast, “Good Hang,” telling the actor, “I just personally want to thank you for doing what you do and speaking out in the way that you do about where we are in the world. There’s a lot of people that are asked to speak truth to power, and they’re usually members of the margins. They are people that are young, don’t really have as much currency or a footing as other people. It’s often people of color. It’s often women.”

“To see a person like yourself, the age that you are and the status that you are, it reminds me of – the best way I can describe it is when it’s like if someone’s giving a terrible speech at a wedding, and they’re ruining the wedding, and the wedding is America and there’s another adult who says like, ‘We don’t talk like that. That’s not how you’re supposed to treat people. This is insane,'” she added, telling De Niro it made everyone feel “safe.”‘

Robert De Niro grew emotional during an interview with Amy Poehler for her “Good Hang” podcast on Sept. 15, 2026. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images;Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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De Niro grew teary-eyed as he thanked her for her words.

The actress told De Niro he was standing up for a lot of people who don’t have the same kind of power he does.

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“It’s true. It is,” she said. “There’s not a lot of men who, in your position, who do that and White men of a certain age, like who, frankly, you know, have a ton of power and don’t use that responsibility in a way that they could. So, thank you,” Poehler said.

De Niro told Poehler that it was “so upsetting” to see what was happening in the U.S., and added, “It’s so crazy.”

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“I mean, in a way, that’s better that it’s so blatant, because this will happen again, and this guy will influence people, and they’ll come up, and they’ll say, ‘Well, I can do it this way or that way.’ And we have to always be on guard with what’s happening now,” De Niro said.

Actor Robert De Niro during an interview on Monday, June 9, 2025 (Rosalind O’Connor/NBC via Getty Images)

The actor told Poehler people had to fight, even if they feel hopeless.

Christian Toto, editor of Hollywood in Toto, told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Amy Poehler is one of our most talented comic actresses. Her work on ‘Parks and Recreation’ alone proves it. And she’s just as clueless about the culture as most celebrities, alas.”

“What Robert De Niro has done over the last decade is nothing less than beclown himself over all things Trump. His ill-informed, one-note attacks on the President are embarrassing. He’s done nothing to raise the level of discourse, and using every bully pulpit to rage against a political leader has made many look askance at his otherwise sterling film career,” he continued. “He’s neither brave nor inspired. He’s simply regurgitating what all his peers think and say. And many say what he says, but often in a slightly more coherent tone. He should know better. And Poehler should understand how badly the Oscar winner’s ravings land with the public.”

De Niro grew emotional over the state of the country during a February 2026 interview with Nicolle Wallace on her podcast, “The Best People.” Wallace told him he played a big role as one of Trump’s most outspoken celebrity critics.

After accusing Trump officials of not respecting many of America’s law enforcement institutions, she asked the 82-year-old actor what he worries about for New York under the ongoing Trump administration. He voiced concern that there would be a campaign of retribution against the people of New York, such as sending in ICE agents.

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“People have to resist, resist, resist, resist, resist. That’s the only way. There’s no magic. There’s no nothing – people are not going to go away, even if Trump dies for some reason by having an illness or something,” he warned. “Parts of that movement are still there, and that’s the scary part. It has to be neutralized by the people.”

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Wallace followed by recalling an Academy Award speech he gave in 1981, when he thanked the people he worked with, saying he has continually lifted people up around him. When she asked him why he emphasized lifting people up around him so much, he went right back to politics.

Robert De Niro speaks onstage during the 39th Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall on March 3, 2026, in New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for Tibet House US)

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“You have to,” he said, starting to cry. “You have to lift people up. You have to bring them together. Period. You can’t divide people. You can’t win that way. It’s a no-win situation.”

De Niro claimed in June that he can’t love an America led by Trump.