Former President Barack Obama had dinner with actor Robert De Niro, one of Hollywood’s most outspoken Trump critics, in New York City on Monday evening, according to a report.
The Daily Mail says Obama, wearing a black suit with dark sunglasses, was seen entering the Greenwich hotel ahead of his dinner with De Niro. The pair is said to have dined at Yves Restaurant in Tribeca. Robert De Niro has longed supported Obama, having campaigned for him in 2008.
As the Daily Mail notes, the dinner comes after Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, signed a whopping $90 million deal to produce a Netflix series regarding calls to impeachment President Donald Trump. De Niro has long urged House Democrats to begin proceedings to remove the president, contending he “should not be president, period.”
In addition to their Netflix deal, the Obamas production company is teaming up with Spotify to produce exclusive podcasts for the platform. Under the partnership announced, the former president and first lady will develop and lend their voices to select podcasts.
“We’ve always believed in the value of entertaining, thought-provoking conversation. It helps us build connections with each other and open ourselves up to new ideas,” a statement via former President Obama read at the time. “We’re excited about Higher Ground Audio because podcasts offer an extraordinary opportunity to foster productive dialogue, make people smile and make people think, and, hopefully, bring us all a little closer together.”
The Obamas launched Higher Ground in 2018 with an initial partnership with Netflix. The idea was to raise new, diverse voices in the entertainment industry. The Spotify partnership seeks to expand the conversation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.