Jonathan Cain is defending Donald Trump after the former president was convicted on 34 felony counts. But even if Trump ends up running for reelection from a jail cell, the longtime Journey member says “it will make him a legend.”
Asked if he thought Trump was innocent of the charges, Cain told Kitty Chrisp from London’s Metro newspaper: “Put it this way, there might have been some misdemeanors. Crimes, as they’re calling it. But yes, I do.”
Years before his New York trial, Trump was the source of a very public falling out between Cain and Journey bandmate Neal Schon. Cain, who’s married to Trump’s spiritual advisor, visited Trump’s White House press room in the summer of 2017 with singer Arnel Pineda and now-former bassist Ross Valory – apparently without Schon’s knowledge.
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Schon immediately began expressing surprise and dismay. Subsequent news reports then misrepresented the trip as group-sanctioned, which Schon angrily reiterated was not the case. (NBC, for instance, reported that “Journey, the Band, Poses for Pictures in the White House Press Briefing Room.”)
Schon later confirmed that the group had met specifically to discuss the implications of such an official visit and that he’d argued against it – “many, many times.” In these discussions with management and counsel, “they both agreed that there should never be anything to do with religious beliefs or politics with Journey.”
‘He Can Run for President From Jail’
As the rhetoric heated up, Schon even seemed to be hinting at a breakup. The deteriorating situation led to a flurry of lawsuits, but they were dropped when Cain and Schon eventually mended fences.
Trump’s conviction was related to an alleged scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush-money arrangement with a porn actor who claimed they had sex. After serving between 2017-21, Trump is now seeking re-election as the Republican party’s presumptive nominee. He has not yet been sentenced.
“I think it was unfair what happened,” Cain told Metro. “It was a sad day for the United States but I think he’s a fighter. He has a chance. They can’t stop him legally. He can run for president from jail.”
Rockers Whose Bands Tried to Erase Them
Their names never made it onto album covers and bands’ official websites – or, worse, they got deleted after some falling out.
Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
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