


His Oscar for “Raging Bull” is probably safe, but Robert De Niro’s recent political turn has cost him one major award.
The National Association of Broadcasters is pulling a prize it had planned to give Mr. De Niro next week to honor his charitable and philanthropic work.
The actor will not receive the NAB Leadership Foundation’s Service to America Award because of the divisive and partisan nature of comments he made this week outside the Manhattan courthouse where former President Donald Trump was being tried, the NAB said.
“This event is proudly bipartisan, uniting those from across the political spectrum to celebrate the impactful work of local broadcasters and our partners,” an NAB spokesperson told The Hill in a statement.
Mr. De Niro, who said Tuesday that Mr. Trump plans to destroy the world and makes himself dictator for life if he wins the election, had been scheduled to receive the NAB award, its highest individual honor, “in recognition of charitable work and public service.”
“While we strongly support the right of every American to exercise free speech and participate in civic engagement, it is clear that Mr. De Niro’s recent high-profile activities will create a distraction from the philanthropic work that we were hoping to recognize. To maintain the focus on service of the award winners, Mr. De Niro will no longer be attending the event,” the spokesperson said.
Mr. De Niro’s New York court appearance was made on behalf of President Biden’s re-election campaign and numerous Democratic donation solicits have been made in recent days signed by him.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.