Actor Robert Di Nero has known former fellow New Yorker Donald Trump for many years. In the fall of 2023, when Trump was preparing to run for president for the third time, Di Nero said that Trump was not a bad man. Rather, he called the twice impeached, convicted felon an “evil man” who has no moral code.[1]

Di Nero warned Americans that our democracy “won’t overcome evil if we are divided.” He proposed a prudent plan to defeat Trump and restore our nation’s democratic traditions. Here’s what he urged all Americans who oppose the current occupant of the White House to do:

We have to reach out to the half of our country who have ignored the hazards of Trump and, for whatever reason, support(ed) elevating him back into the White House. They’re not stupid, and we must not condemn them for making a stupid choice. Our future doesn’t just depend on us. It depends on them.

Let’s reach out to Trump’s followers with respect. Let’s not talk about “democracy.” “Democracy” may be our holy grail, but to others, it is just a word, a concept, and in their embrace of Trump, they’ve already turned their backs on it. Let’s talk about right and wrong. Let’s talk about humanity. Let’s talk about kindness. Security for our world. Safety for our families. Decency. Let’s welcome them back. We won’t get them all, but we can get enough to end the nightmare of Trump,…[2]

Di Nero was advising us to find common ground with our fellow Americans who may have voted for Trump and may not believe in democracy anymore.  But who doesn’t believe in right and wrong or kindness or decency? Who could be against security and safety for their families?

         By aligning our country with Russia’s brutal dictator, Vladimir Putin, Trump has made our country weaker and less safe.

By firing thousands of federal employees, Trump has made many American families and local economies less secure.

By working to tear down the firewall that separates the Justice Department’s law enforcement from presidential influence, Trump is corrupting the government and promoting unlawful, self-serving policies.

Most Americans – Republicans, Democrats, and Independents – want a government that’s fair and just. We must reach out to them and ask them to join us in rebuilding a safe and decent America.  We need to come together to save our country from a corrupt president who only wants what’s good for himself and his billionaire friends.

We deserve a government that serves all the people, not just the very wealthy. It’s up to each of us to do whatever we can to stop Trump and make certain “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”[3]

Bruce Berlin, J.D.

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is a former U.S. Institute of Peace Fellow and the founder and former executive director of The Trinity Forum for International Security and Conflict Resolution. He is also the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America.  (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.). Contact him at breakingbigmoneysgrip@gmail.com.

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[1] https://newrepublic.com/post/176175/robert-de-niro-trump-isnt-just-bad-guy-hes-evil

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.owleyes.org/text/gettysburg-address/read/text-of-lincolns-speech