Robert De Niro’s recent appearance in New York stirred quite the political buzz, and CNN’s Laura Coates remarkably seemed incapable of deciphering the blatant political move at play. De Niro spoke during the closing arguments of Donald Trump’s trial. The famous actor also featured in a Biden campaign ad the previous day—an ad strongly criticizing Trump. Yet, Coates couldn’t put two and two together.
In her segment, Coates played two clips. One showed De Niro stating, “I love this city. I don’t want to destroy it. Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city, but the country. And eventually, he could destroy the world.” The other clip showed Donald Trump Jr. pointing out, “This is a political persecution. That was evidenced today, today by the Biden campaign themselves holding a rally here. They bring in Robert De Niro.”
Rather unsurprisingly, Coates overlooked the clear political alignment in De Niro’s statement and his tightly knit involvement with the Biden campaign. She discredited the idea of politics at play. She argued that Republicans were also hosting rallies outside the courthouse, and reminded us that De Niro isn’t an elected official, presumably to explain away his political activism.
Despite De Niro’s blatant political allegiance—made evident not only by his recent public comments but also his narration for a Biden campaign ad—Coates refused to acknowledge his partisan motivations. She continued to show unwavering support to the Biden administration without giving fair coverage to the situation.
Expressing partisanship wasn’t only on De Niro’s agenda that day. Also in New York were Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone, two officers who defended the Capitol on January 6th. They both spoke alongside De Niro – Dunn warning Americans to wake up and Fanone drawing an alarming comparison between Trump and an authoritarian leader.
Unbelievably, Coates continued to deny the obvious political machinations behind the event, expressing confusion towards anyone who viewed it as such. Even when faced with clear evidence of Dunn’s political aspirations—he ran for Congress last year— and Fanone’s agenda—he’s a CNN analyst who compared Trump to Osama Bin Laden—Coates still inexplicably missed the link.
This scenario raises significant questions regarding the objectivity of news and the role of media. Shouldn’t a seasoned journalist like Coates be able to discern blatant political maneuvers when showcased so openly? Furthermore, isn’t it crucial for the audience to receive a balanced perspective that captures all sides of a story, rather than a one-sided narrative?
Within this setting, it’s difficult to deny the clear political motivations behind De Niro’s presence. Coates’ unwillingness to see this, or perhaps her refusal to admit it, reflects a problematic trend in media coverage that we, as an audience, need to question continually—demanding clarity, transparency, and journalistic integrity.
