Hollywood actor Robert De Niro has launched a fresh attack on President Donald Trump, branding him a "lunatic" for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

The US is the country most affected by COVID-19, with over 1.4 million people testing positive for the disease and more than 84,000 losing their lives.

Trump, who is fighting for election for a second term this November, has made a series of outlandish comments during the crisis - including suggesting that injections of disinfectant could provide a cure for coronavirus.

"You've got a lunatic saying things that people are trying to dance around," said De Niro during a surprise appearance on BBC Two's Newsnight yesterday.

"It's appalling, it's appalling. He wants to be re-elected, he doesn't even care how many people die.

"He doesn't care for those people. And the people who he pretends to care about are the people he has the most disdain for because he couldn't care less about them. They might like to tell themselves or delude themselves, but he doesn't care about them."

De Niro has been a regular critic of Trump during his presidency and in 2016 released a remarkable video in which he described the billionaire as 'a punk, a dog, a pig, a bullshit artist' and outlined his desire to 'punch Trump in the face'.

Watch the video below: