Broadcasters association rescinds award for De Niro after appearance outside Trump trial

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) rescinded an award for actor Robert De Niro on Wednesday, after he made an appearance outside of the trial of former President Donald Trump this week.

De Niro made his appearance on behalf of President Joe Biden's presidential campaign on Tuesday, and blasted Trump as someone who would "never leave" the White House if he makes a return in November, and will be a "dictator for life." 

A spokesperson for the NAB said the group rescinded his Service to America Award because his recent political activities have taken away from the charity works the bipartisan group wants to highlight.

“This event is proudly bipartisan, uniting those from across the political spectrum to celebrate the impactful work of local broadcasters and our partners,” the spokesperson told The Hill. “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.”

De Niro responded to the news in a comment to The Hill, praising the group for its leadership and dedication to service.

“I support the work of the NAB Leadership Foundation and would like to express my appreciation and gratitude for what the Foundation has done and will continue to do for the good of us all, and I wish them well for their continued good work,” De Niro said.

The Oscar winner has been a vocal critic of the former president, but said he would effectively end personal liberties and limited government if he gets elected later this year. 

"I don’t mean to scare you. No no, wait, maybe I do mean to scare you. If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss away these freedoms that we take for granted, and elections, forget about it," he said, according to The Hill. "If he gets in, I can tell you right now: he will never leave. Is that the country we want to live in?"

Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records on Thursday, related to an alleged hush money payment given to former porn star Stormy Daniels.