During the ceremony, De Niro praised Pacino, his “lifelong compatriot,” along with the program’s other inductees -- music producer Quincy Jones and former pro boxer Evander Holyfield.
The pair have starred in four movies together, most famously in “The Godfather, Part 2,” in which Pacino uttered the line, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
On Sunday night, De Niro kept Trump close in his thoughts.
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
“You didn’t think you were going to completely get away without a ‘(expletive) Trump’ moment, did you?” De Niro said during his speech.
In a video obtained by TMZ, De Niro is heard praising the night's honorees, saying "They've earned our respect and admiration, and they deserve this tribute."
“On the other hand, the individual who currently purports to lead America is not worthy of any tribute,” De Niro said, to a mixture of cheers and boos. “Unless you think of his impeachment and imprisonment as a sort of tribute. Now that’s how you can make America great again.”
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