Robert De Niro urges early voting in new ad, citing fears of Trump administration actions

Actor Robert De Niro has appeared in a new advertisement for the progressive group Indivisible, urging voters to cast their ballots early. The ad, part of the "Hands Off Our Vote" campaign, suggests that the Trump administration and the Supreme Court pose a threat to voting rights.

"Voting is a constitutional right, but you have to see that this administration and the Supreme Court aren’t paying any attention to our constitutional rights," De Niro stated in the video. He encouraged voters to utilize early voting options, whether by mail or in person, to safeguard their votes against potential interference on Election Day.

"Whether by mail or in person, you control when, and then, no matter what they pull on Election Day, your vote will already be banked," De Niro said in the ad. He also made critical remarks about unnamed political figures, referencing a "would-be king who gets us into a disastrous war and corruptly profits from it" and candidates who allegedly would cut healthcare and protect "pedophiles."

The ad from De Niro follows similar concerns voiced by other Democratic figures. Earlier in the election cycle, former Vice President Kamala Harris claimed that Trump and Republicans were attempting to "cheat" in the midterm elections. Republicans, in turn, have criticized these claims, with some calling them hypocritical and a refusal to support election security measures.

In response to De Niro's ad, a White House spokesman, Davis Ingle, called the actor a "washed up has-been" and accused him of "spewing hate speech and inciting violence." The spokesman also attributed De Niro's comments to "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

Republicans have accused Democrats of attempting to undermine election security, with Sen. Mike Lee of Utah stating in February that Democrats are opposing voter ID laws and proofs of citizenship. He added that Democrats are resistant to discussions about election security and irregularities.