Rise Up, Sing Out benefit in New York brings Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro and Bette Midler into a public protest of Trump’s speech and rights claims

Sunday night’s “Rise Up, Sing Out” benefit concert in New York drew multiple high-profile performers and drew a political message through the event’s stage remarks and crowd participation, according to The Guardian. The evening was framed as a rights-focused protest, with speakers and attendees targeting President-elect Donald Trump’s approach to free speech and other civil liberties.

Robert De Niro, appearing as a lead voice during the program, opened with remarks aimed at the Trump administration’s public conduct. The Guardian reported that De Niro began by telling the crowd, “Good evening, everyone, and welcome to all of you who couldn’t get tickets to the White House cage fights,” and used additional language to characterize the president-elect as abusing power. The report also described crowd response during the segment, including a call-and-response style moment.

The Guardian reported that De Niro delivered another line comparing patriotic messaging to an abusive relationship dynamic. In the account, he said, “Loving our country sounds like an abused spouse saying they love their abuser,” continuing the event’s theme of opposing what organizers portrayed as violations of constitutional protections.

The program’s headline performers, Jane Fonda and Bette Midler, were also singled out in The Guardian’s description as taking part in the protest atmosphere, with attention on the event’s stated purpose of resisting alleged infringements on rights. The report characterized the celebrities as uniting onstage to deliver a message directly about Trump’s governance and its effect on public debate.

The Guardian’s account described an additional rallying phrase attributed to the performers and the crowd. It reported that the audience and celebrities used the line “We’re coming for his ass,” as part of the protest tone during the concert.

While the Guardian story centers on the remarks and audience participation, it does not provide granular details in the excerpted description about the benefit’s fundraising totals, the specific recipients of any proceeds, or the venue name. The report does frame the evening as a “benefit concert,” indicating a charitable purpose alongside its political messaging.

It was also unclear from the provided material whether the event involved any law-enforcement coordination, whether any arrests occurred, or whether event organizers issued separate public statements about security plans or legal issues surrounding the protest. Those details would be necessary to assess how the event’s rights-focused message translated into public order and safety measures during a live, high-profile program.

For next steps, organizers and local authorities would typically address any post-event questions about crowd management, permit compliance, and any claims about speech rights raised by participants. Separately, the reported political remarks may prompt further debate over how major entertainment figures use benefit platforms and large audiences to raise constitutional and governance concerns.