The Biden campaign brought actor Robert De Niro and two Jan. 6 Capitol police officers to Manhattan Tuesday to blast former President Donald Trump amid closing arguments in the nearby courthouse in his hush money trial.

On the street outside the courthouse, Mr. De Niro, a bitter Trump critic who’s appearing in a new campaign ad for President Biden, said the presumptive GOP nominee will “destroy” the U.S. and the world if he wins in November.

“This is the time to stop him, by voting him out once and for all,” the actor said. “If he gets in, I can tell you right now, he will never leave.”

He called Mr. Trump a “tyrant” and a “clown,” adding that he’s voting for Mr. Biden because “we don’t have a choice.”

Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller showed up at the same spot moments later to mock the Biden team’s move.

“The best Biden can do is roll out a washed-up actor,” Mr. Miller said. “Their numbers are in the toilet.”

He said it was a desperate attempt to revive Mr. Biden’s campaign.

The tactic by the Biden campaign underscored a decision to ramp up criticism of Mr. Trump, emphasizing that Democrats can’t rely on the former president’s legal problems to keep him out of the White House.

By seeking media attention outside the courthouse, the Biden team used a strategy that Democrats have criticized Trump surrogates of engaging in.

Appearing with Mr. De Niro were former Capitol police officers Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone, who have been outspoken about the pro-Trump protest of Jan. 6, 2021.

Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said, “We’re not going to let our foot off the gas” because Mr. Trump “poses a unique and growing threat to our fundamental rights, our freedoms and our democracy.”

• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.