Weeks after saying he wanted to punch Donald Trump in the face, Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro has softened his tone on the president-elect.
“I would only say that we’re all hoping, waiting and hoping, that he will lead the country in a way that’ll benefit everyone and benefit our neighbors around the world,” Mr. De Niro, 73, told The Hill.
The “Godfather Part II” star was one of several celebrities to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on Tuesday.
“That’s all,” he told reporters. “We’re waiting and hoping, and we’ll see.”
Mr. De Niro released a video last month describing Mr. Trump as a “national disaster” and an “embarrassment to this country.”
“I’d like to punch him in the face,” he said in the video.
Mr. De Niro told The Hill on Tuesday that he meant the “punch” comment to be “more symbolic.”
“After he said the things that he said, anybody would want to punch him in the face,” he said. “Many people told me, ’You said what I’d want to say.’ It’s just unacceptable to say those things in the situations that he said them in.
“Now he’s president-elect and I just want to see what he’s going to do,” he added.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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