‘We’re coming for his ass’: Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro and Bette Midler target Trump at New York benefit concert

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

“Good evening, everyone, and welcome to all of you who couldn’t get tickets to the White House cage fights.”

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. Ironically, it took place at the same time as the White House’s controversial UFC match where a very different kind of free speech was on display.