Celebrating Free Speech: Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro, and Bette Midler Unite Against Trump

Sunday night's Rise Up, Sing Out event saw A-list celebrities unite to protest Trump 'violating' first amendment rights

Loving our country sounds like an abused spouse saying they love their abuser: Robert De Niro leads crowd in rallying cry against Trump

That was Robert De Niro's opening crack as he spoke at Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment held in New York on Sunday night.

Thrown by the Committee for the First Amendment and co-executive produced by Jane Fonda, the two-and-a-half-hour variety show served as a celebration of free speech, dishing up fierce pushback to Donald Trump and his agenda.

The event gathered some of Trump's fiercest and outspoken detractors, from Fonda to De Niro, to Bette Midler and a host of advocates from across the spectrum who bemoaned the current state of US politics and the 47th president's polarizing agenda.

I don't love a country that's led by a racist, misogynist, xenophobic tyrant, said De Niro, characteristically pulling no punches.

When I hear Trump say, as he did a few days ago, 'I don't think about Americans' financial situation, not even a little bit,' I say, 'Shut the fuck up,' De Niro said, as the latter four words became a repeated refrain chanted by the audience.

Fonda used softer language but was just as fiery. The government and its cronies are routinely violating the first amendment to silence artists, shuttering institutions like the Kennedy Center and defunding museums, she said.

Bette Midler sang a rousing version of Woody Guthrie's 1944 protest song All You Fascists Bound to Lose, with updated lyrics like 'We're gonna win the midterms, we're coming for his ass.'

Speaking at the concert after the final event of his 25th annual Tribeca film festival earlier in the day, the actor continued to candidly express his opinion of Trump.

Fonda pointed to the hundreds of thousands of people who were watching the event on a live stream, with many hosting watch parties and renting out theaters across the nation for the cathartic night that featured performances from the likes of Rufus Wainwright and Patti Smith.