New York, New York - Robert De Niro gave a very different kind of acceptance speech at the Gotham Awards in New York on Monday as the star accused organizers of editing out parts critical of ex-President Donald Trump.

De Niro may take notes from director Martin Scorsese, but when he discovered entire swathes of the speech he had prepared disappeared from the teleprompter, the acting legend let everyone know about it.

On stage to present the Gotham Historical Icon and Creator Tribute to his Killers of the Flower Moon colleagues, De Niro said a few words about the new movie, before moving on to more serious business.

"I just want to say one thing," he interjected. "The beginning of my speech was edited, cut out, I didn't know about it. And I want to read it."

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The 80-year-old then launched into an extraordinary address.

"History isn't history anymore. Truth is not truth. Even facts are being replaced by alternative facts and driven by conspiracy theories and ugliness," he said. "In Florida, young students are taught that slaves developed skills which can be applied for their personal benefit."

De Niro also called out Hollywood legend John Wayne, who infamously denied the Indigenous Peoples in the US were ever wronged. But the end of the missing speech passage was reserved for Donald Trump.

"Lying has become just another tool in the charlatan's arsenal," the Ranging Bull actor insisted. "The former president lied to us more than 30,000 times during his four years in office, and he's keeping up the pace in his current campaign of retribution. But with all his lies, he can't hide his soul. He attacks the weak, destroys the gifts of nature, and shows disrespect – for example by using 'Pocahontas' as a slur."

The was one final barb left for the Gotham Film and Media Institute and Apple, the event organizers and Killers of the Flower Moon producer, respectively.

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"I don't feel like thanking them at all for what they did. How dare they do that, actually?" De Niro said.

The two-time Academy Award winner has been one of Trump's greatest critics over the past few years and hasn't been shy about speaking up against him at every opportunity.