Donald Trump has been re-elected as president of the United States, and so far, the reaction from the music business has been decidedly negative. Jack White, Billie Eilish, Bruce Springsteen and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are among the artists who have weighed in with their unvarnished thoughts.
Writing on Instagram, White said “Americans chose a known, obvious fascist and now America will get whatever this wannabe dictator wants to enact from here on in. We all know what he is capable of: Project 2025, deportations, nationwide abortion ban, ending his own two-term limit, backing Putin and his war, shutting down the Board of Education, adding to climate change, limiting LGBTQ rights, controlling the DOJ, keeping the minimum wage down, etc. etc. etc.”
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“It’s absolutely dumbfounding that this con man succeeded in pulling the wool over so many Americans’ eyes not once, but twice,” continued the artist, who previously sued the Trump campaign to stop using the White Stripes song “Seven Nation Army” at their rallies. “The racist, impeached, convicted felon and convicted rapist who stole national secrets and hid them in his bathroom, who told us to inject bleach, who wanted to fix hurricanes with nuclear weapons, who insulted [handicapped] people, called military veterans ‘suckers,’ who incited an insurrection that invaded the nation’s Capitol, for God[‘s] sakes.”
Last night (Nov. 6) in Nashville, Eilish admitted to the audience that upon waking up, she “couldn’t fathom doing a show on this day. But the longer the day went on, I kinda had this feeling of, it’s such a privilege I get to do this with you guys. You’re protected here and you’re safe in this room.” Before playing “Your Power,” she said the song was about “the abuse that exists in this world upon women” and related it to the fact that “a person who is a convicted predator … someone who hates women so, so deeply, is about to be the president of the United States of America. So, this song is for all the women out there. I love you. I support you.”
Performing last night in Toronto, Springsteen opened with the song “Long Walk Home,” which he described as “a fighting prayer for my country.” He also played “Land of Hope and Dreams,” which he’d set to a Harris campaign video in the days leading up to this week’s election.
Although their members hail from Australia, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard took a firm stand against Trump on social media, writing, “It’s a sad day for people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, women, those with disabilities. It’s a sad day for planet Earth, the climate, the soil we grow our food in, the air we fucking breathe. As a band of six white dudes, I acknowledge the privilege that we have. We work really hard to create a community which is inclusive and progressive. We’ll keep fighting for you. We love you.”
The group blew off some proverbial steam in recent days by playing the debut live versions of deep fan-favorite tracks “Intrasport” and “Interior People,” and staged their first “experimental rave set” last night in San Francisco by performing the 2023 electronic album The Silver Cord in its entirety.
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