As Robert De Niro's New York hush money trial drew to a close, he appeared outside a Manhattan courthouse to denounce Donald Trump, sparking a shouting match with a group of former President Trump's supporters nearby, with the pair saying life imitates art.
“You're a gangster!” De Niro, who starred in “Goodfellas” and won an Oscar for “The Godfather Part II,” shouted at Trump supporters, who responded with obscenities.
There are plenty of Hollywood storylines still to come in the 2024 election campaign, as celebrities increasingly lend their star power to President Joe Biden to get their fans to vote in November and raise money for his reelection.
On Saturday, A-list actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts will team up with former President Barack Obama at a Biden fundraiser in Los Angeles. The trio will be interviewed by late-night talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel. Roberts and Kimmel have already begun soliciting donations via text message for Biden, who will attend the event at the expense of a weekend peace conference on Ukraine in Switzerland.
Director Steven Spielberg is involved in storytelling efforts leading up to the Democratic National Convention in August, and Lenny Kravitz, Barbra Streisand and James Taylor have all performed for Biden donors.
Others who have sent fundraising emails, organized events or otherwise offered their support include Connie Britton of “The White Lotus” fame, singer-songwriter Carole King, “Bridgerton” creator Shonda Rhimes, singer Christina Aguilera, “The Equalizer” actress Queen Latifah and “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill, who appeared in the White House briefing room last month to personally praise the president.
And in another example of the blurring of the line between reality and fantasy, at a fundraiser at the home of veteran actor Michael Douglas, real-life President Biden congratulated the star of the 1996 hit “The American President” on the success of his fictional administration.
Lexi Underwood, whose credits include the streaming series “Little Fires Everywhere,” calls acting a “contact sport” that gives her the opportunity to interact with everyday people and strengthens her resolve to use her influence responsibly. She recently took part in a virtual “Students for Biden” event and traveled to Nevada to appear at a campaign event focused on women's health issues.
“I'm very lucky that people pay attention to me,” said Underwood, 20. “I really feel a responsibility to make sure that what I put out there is either educating people on things they didn't know before, or that I motivate people to go vote.”
The Biden campaign has said a major focus is finding authentic, credible messengers who can tout the president's policy accomplishments and sound the alarm about “extremism” in the Republican Party, which means using everyday advocates as well as celebrities. The campaign has produced ads featuring union members in Pennsylvania, black entrepreneurs in Detroit and women negatively affected by tough abortion restrictions in Texas.
Fi Nelson, a human resources professional who attended a recent event for Vice President Kamala Harris in Prince George's County, Maryland, said celebrity voices can bring about change “if they can resonate with an audience.”
“It's about having the right message,” said Nelson, 42.
Adrienne Elrod, who served as Biden's deputy strategist and operations director in 2020, said Biden's prominent allies often “bring their own ideas to the table” about how to support the campaign and what issues they want to focus on.
“We often have ideas for them, too,” she said, “which is why when we engage with these people, it's always a very productive working relationship.”
De Niro has played an increasingly prominent role in the Biden campaign: Before facing off against Trump supporters, the actor held a press conference where he called the former president a “clown.” He also appeared at Biden fundraisers and narrated a campaign ad in which he accused Trump of “losing his temper” after losing the 2020 election.
“Only the nation's elite Hollywood celebrities are endorsing Joe Biden's failed campaign,” Caroline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the former president's campaign, said, adding that Trump “speaks for the forgotten men and women of this country.”
Trump has his own list of celebrity supporters, including musicians Kid Rock and Ted Nugent, UFC CEO Dana White, media personality Caitlyn Jenner, actors Dennis Quaid and Jon Voight, and comedian Roseanne Barr.
Elrod said he's eager for other stars to follow De Niro's lead and endorse Biden, but are waiting “until they can really make the most of the moment” before getting involved. He gave the example of 2020, when Bruce Springsteen narrated an ad featuring Biden's song “My Hometown” just before the election.
“I think we'll see more moments like this, using these voices strategically and effectively at the times in the campaign that make the most sense for us,” said Elrod, who is Biden's campaign spokesman this term.
David Schmidt, an English professor who studies popular culture at the University at Buffalo, said celebrities can influence their fans' aspirations and consumption, but he said their “influence on people's voting habits has been greatly exaggerated.”
“Maybe Obama,” said Alex Dillion, a sophomore at American University in Washington who attended Harris' event in Maryland. Asked which prominent figures have political influence, Dillion said, “Maybe Obama.”
But her influence is no guarantee of victory: In 2018, Swift endorsed two Democratic candidates in Tennessee, both of whom lost. And Schmidt said that even someone as famous as Swift “knows the situation is polarized and doesn't want to take big risks on candidates or controversial issues.”
For all the work Biden's team is doing with celebrities, the president is still trying to cultivate an image of himself as someone who resonates with everyday people.
While campaigning in Saginaw, Michigan, the president visited a public golf course and met with community activist Coleman Hurley III and his son.
“Maybe celebrities who have everything they want and need are out of touch with reality,” the older Harley said later in a phone interview.
Hawley added that when it comes to ordinary Americans, Biden needs to “understand where they live, empathize with them, and then talk to them about the different struggles and issues that we and other Americans face.”
