Robert De Niro to Colbert: Michael Bloomberg ‘Might be the One’ to Defeat ‘Fake President’ Trump

Appearing Monday on CBS’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert, actor Robert De Niro posited that newly-minted presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg “might be the one” to defeat President Donald Trump in 2020.

“I like Bloomberg. He’s an adult. He’s a grownup,” De Niro, one of Hollywood’s most virulent Trump critics, told Colbert when asked if he’s previously met the billionaire and former New York City mayor.

“He’s run the city for 12 years,” the funnyman said. “I know there are things he did, you mentioned them on the show, but he’s done good things, and he tries to do the right thing. He’s put his money where his mouth is when it comes to climate change and certainly gun policy.”

“We just have to get past this — get over the hump into calm waters, and, so, to me, Bloomberg might be the one,” the Meet the Fockers star replied. “I love Buttigieg, I like so many people. But we need to get past this horrible situation.”

De Niro praised the South Bend, Indiana, mayor in a recent interview with the Daily Beast, arguing, “He’s got all the credentials—Rhodes Scholar, Afghanistan veteran—even though he’s young, and if he could get a chance it could be something special, I think.”

Bloomberg, a favorite of Wall Street, formally launched his campaign for the White House on Sunday in a written statement posted to his campaign website. The 77-year-old is expected to kick off his bid with a massive advertising campaign in key primary states.

“I’m running for president to defeat Donald Trump and rebuild America,” Bloomberg said in his announcement. “We cannot afford four more years of President Trump’s reckless and unethical actions,” he continued. “He represents an existential threat to our country and our values. If he wins another term in office, we may never recover from the damage.”

Bloomberg’s entry to the crowded Democrat field comes as primary voters are experiencing anxiety about whether former Vice President Joe Biden has the stamina to beat President Trump. There’s also concern among voters that radical proposals from progressives like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) could propel them to victory against a president who’s been successful at his handling of the economy.