De Niro, Clooney … Chuck Norris? Biden and Trump seek star power for election boost

Once heard, never forgotten, the voice is familiar to admirers of The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Heat, The Irishman and countless others. “Trump wants revenge,” says Robert De Niro, “and he’ll stop at nothing to get it.”

This was an ad released on Friday by Joe Biden’s campaign to remind voters of Donald Trump’s dark and divisive presidency and warn that his return to power could be even worse. The use of De Niro – a fierce Trump critic – as narrator was no accident but a reminder of the power of celebrities at the ballot box in America.

Every four years candidates are eager to recruit big names who might wield influence over the electorate, not least young first-time voters. This time, with both Biden and Trump suffering low approval ratings, and with the race set to be extremely close, any addition of star power could be crucial in breaking through the noise.

“In this election celebrity involvement and celebrity endorsements and celebrity education is the most important that it’s ever been in American history,” said Richard Greene, a political communication strategist based in Los Angeles. “It is absolutely essential that celebrities and influencers help break through the disinformation and misinformation and lack of information that is being generated by people relying on often crazy, useless and counterproductive social media posts.”

Biden’s campaign reportedly plans to host a major fundraiser in Los Angeles next month with the Hollywood actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts as well as former president Barack Obama. He has given interviews to the actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes for their SmartLess podcast. In the coming months he will also hope to gain the