Story highlights Attacks from Hollywood stars against Trump are not uncommon

De Niro's have been particularly intense

Washington (CNN) Robert De Niro directed a profanity-laced rant toward President Donald Trump Tuesday night and compared the Trump administration's attacks on the media to those of former President Richard Nixon.

"Our baby-in-chief -- the j---off-in-chief, I call him -- has put the press under siege, ridiculing it and trying to discredit it through outrageous attacks and lies," De Niro said in a speech at the National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala, according to video of the event provided to CNN.

"This f------ idiot is the president. It's The Emperor's New Clothes -- the guy is a f------ fool ... our baby-in-chief -- the 'J-------in-chief' I call him," De Niro said while introducing Meryl Streep.

Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro pose during the National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala on January 9, 2018 in New York City.

De Niro, who backed Democratic president candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016, slammed Trump in a 2016 video, saying, "I'd like to punch him in the face."

Amid Trump's attacks on the media, Streep and Tom Hanks, who were honored at the gala, have been vocal about their support for the press.

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