De Niro Warns Trump Won't Leave Office in 2028

Actor claims president will refuse to vacate White House after second term

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Veteran actor Robert De Niro has once again claimed that former President Donald Trump will refuse to leave office when his second term ends in 2028, insisting "He will never leave" and that "it's up to us to get rid of him." De Niro made the comments in a preview of an upcoming podcast interview, continuing a conspiracy theory he has pushed since Trump's 2024 re-election.

Why it matters

De Niro's comments reflect a growing concern among some political observers that Trump may attempt to cling to power beyond his constitutionally-limited terms. However, there is no evidence to suggest Trump plans to do so, and he left office peacefully after losing his re-election bid in 2020.

The details

In the podcast preview, De Niro is heard claiming that Trump "will never leave" the White House, and that "it's up to us to get rid of him." The actor also accused Trump of "joking now about nationalizing the elections" and suggested the former president is threatening polling places, though he provided no specifics to back up those claims.

  • De Niro first made similar claims about Trump refusing to leave office in May 2024, shortly after the 2024 election.
  • He repeated the conspiracy theory again in October 2025.

The players

Robert De Niro

A veteran American actor known for his roles in films such as "Goodfellas" and "The Godfather Part II." De Niro has been a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump.

Donald Trump

The 45th President of the United States, who served from 2017 to 2021. Trump lost his bid for re-election in 2020 but was elected to a second term in 2024.

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What they’re saying

“He will never leave. We have to make him leave. He jokes now about nationalizing the elections. He's not joking. We've seen enough already.”

— Robert De Niro, Actor (The Wrap)

“Let's not kid ourselves. He will not leave. It's up to us to get rid of him.”

— Robert De Niro, Actor (The Wrap)

The takeaway

While De Niro's claims reflect growing concerns about the peaceful transition of power, there is no evidence to suggest Trump plans to refuse to leave office if he loses in 2028. The peaceful transfer of power is a cornerstone of American democracy, and it remains to be seen whether De Niro's warnings will be borne out.