Veteran musician Elton John has weighed in on Donald Trump's support of his music, though he has stopped short of endorsing the former president as he vies for a second term in the White House.
Republican nominee Trump is set to face off against Democrat rival Vice President Kamala Harris at the polls in November. As the race heats up, the two candidates took part in their first presidential debate against one another on Tuesday.
With the upcoming election dominating headlines, John was asked about claims that Trump had nicknamed North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un "Little Rocket Man." In Mike Pompeo's 2023 memoir, Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love, it was claimed that Kim was not familiar with the reference to John's classic track. Trump, it was claimed, gifted Kim an autographed a copy of John's 1972 album, Honky Château.
"I laughed, I thought that was brilliant," John told Variety of the nickname on Saturday at the Toronto Film Festival, where he promoted his new documentary Elton John: Never Too Late. "I just thought, 'Good on you, Donald.'"
"Donald's always been a fan of mine, and he's been to my concerts many, many times," John added. "So, I mean, I've always been friendly toward him, and I thank him for his support. When he did that, I just thought it was hilarious. It made me laugh."
Following the Friday night premiere of his documentary in Toronto, the British singer mentioned the presidential election when he said: "Kindness will always win out... that's what I hope for the American election in November."
On Saturday, "Tiny Dancer" hitmaker John discussed the election again during a visit to Variety's Toronto Film Festival Studio.
"I don't go on stage and say to people, 'You mustn't vote for the Republicans, you mustn't vote for the Democrats.' It's none of my business how they vote," he said. "They come to see me, and I'm so grateful they have.
"What I want by saying that last night... there is a danger, as Dick Cheney said the other day. America is in a very volatile position at the moment. And it's a country I love, and I've always loved, and I'm so thankful that it made me who I am."
Last week, Harris scored the endorsement of former Vice President Cheney and his daughter, former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney. Both conservatives, Dick and Liz Cheney have been critical of Trump, particularly after his supporters laid siege to the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. In their separate endorsements, Dick and Liz Cheney called Trump a "threat" and a "danger," respectively.
Continuing to discuss the election on Saturday, John said: "I just want people to vote for things that are just, things that are important to people: the right to choose, the right to be who you are, and not let anybody else tell you who to be. And that goes all the way up to the Supreme Court."
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who has spoken out on social justice over the years and has been a longtime advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness through his Elton John AIDS Foundation, added that he wanted to see a "lost" love return to the U.S.
"I just hope that people make the right decision to see what is the future is going to be," he said. "Is it going to be fire and brimstone... or are we going to have a much calmer, a much safer place?
"Again, people can vote for who they like, but as far as I'm concerned, I love love. And I'm a loving person, and I want that to come back to America. I feel it's been lost in the last 12 years and I want to see it come back everywhere. Not just America."
A Show of Support?
John's comments about Trump have divided opinion on whether the musician has betrayed who he may be quietly rooting for behind the scenes—if any candidate at all.
Political commentator and We The Studios co-founder Cara Leopardo told Newsweek that while John "is not directly voicing support for either candidate, the lack of outwardly supporting Kamala leads me to believe he may be in favor of supporting a candidate like President Donald J. Trump who can provide a safer, more stable America."
Carole Lieberman, M.D., a Beverly Hills forensic psychiatrist, has a different take, telling Newsweek: "Elton John's comments suggest that he doesn't want to alienate Trump or Kamala. He's trying to go down the middle. But his comments about Trump are more personal and friendly, whereas he just say he wants calm, as an allusion to Kamala."
Meanwhile, Jeffrey R. Dudas, a professor of political science at the University of Connecticut, believes John's statements "appear to be a non-specific endorsement" of Harris, whose vice presidential running mate is Tim Walz.
Dudas told Newsweek: "All of the things that he references—calm, steady leadership, a commitment to defending the rights of people to be who they are and to have the freedom to make bodily decisions for themselves (he even coyly and negatively references the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade), his seeming agreement with Dick Cheney's recent endorsement of Harris, and, perhaps most interestingly, his reference to needing to move past the chaos of the last '12 years' of U.S. politics (which points to the beginnings of Donald Trump's rise to prominence in the Republican Party during Obama's second term)—make the direction of his thinking pretty clear.
"It's as close to an endorsement of Harris, and as close to a rebuke of Trump, as you can get without specifically mentioning their names. He clearly values his personal relationship with Trump and doesn't want to antagonize him; but the tenor of his comments is clear."
Evan Nierman, CEO of global PR firm Red Banyan, believes that in his comments to Variety, John "skillfully threads the needle by avoiding alienating his fans who happen to be Trump supporters—and Trump himself—while simultaneously hinting where his preferences may lie."
"You can read between the lines to infer support for some of the policies of Trump's opponent," Nierman explained to Newsweek. "By specifically backing 'the right to choose,' he is expressing a preference for the Democratic position related to abortion.
"Positing that Americans face a choice between 'fire and brimstone' and 'a much calmer, a much safer place,' is open to interpretation, but in my view, it indicates a preference that voters move away from the bombastic and combative rhetoric of Trump. However, it is impossible to say with certainty exactly what he meant, which was clearly Sir Elton's goal.
"One secret to Elton John's stature and staying power has been his ability to maintain global appeal, and he is as sharp and rhetorically skilled as he is on the piano."
A Long History
While John opted to forgo an endorsement of either presidential candidate this cycle, he counts himself among the musicians who have barred Trump from using their music at his rallies. John's 2016 move, however, did not include a condemnation of Trump.
"I don't really want my music to be involved in anything to do with an American election campaign. I'm British," John told The Guardian in an interview published in February 2016. "I've met Donald Trump, he was very nice to me, it's nothing personal, his political views are his own, mine are very different, I'm not a Republican in a million years."
Suggesting other artists, John added at the time: "Why not ask Ted f****** Nugent? Or one of those f****** country stars? They'll do it for you."
Trump's admiration of John goes back several years. When the onetime real estate mogul tied the knot with Melania Trump back in 2005, he drafted in John to perform at their celebration, held at his Mar-A-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
When John entered into a civil partnership with his now-husband David Furnish later that year in December 2005, Donald Trump congratulated the musician in a blog post on the website of his now-defunct Trump University.
"I know both of them and they get along wonderfully. It's a marriage that's going to work," the former star of The Apprentice wrote at the time.
"I'm very happy for them," he added. "If two people dig each other, they dig each other. Good luck, Elton. Good luck, David. Have a great life."
Noting that he wasn't present for the ceremony, Donald Trump asked in a tongue-in-cheek sign-off: "But because I wasn't invited, do I still have to send them a toaster?"
Several years later, following Donald Trump's election victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, Anthony Scaramucci, then a member of the president elect's transition team, told BBC show HARDtalk that John was "going to be doing our concert on the Mall for the inauguration."
Shooting down such claims, a representative of John said in a statement soon afterward: "This is incorrect. Elton will not be performing at Trump's inauguration."
In September 2019, The New York Times reported that John turned Donald Trump down in a "cordial, warm and deferential" email.
"Thank you so much for the extremely kind invitation to play at your inauguration," read the message. "I have given it at lot of thought, and as a British National I don't feel that it's appropriate for me to play at the inauguration of an American President. Please accept my apologies."
In fact, John had supported former Secretary of State Clinton in her election efforts. In March 2016, he and Katy Perry put on respective performances at an I'm With Her Concert, held at New York's landmark Radio City Music Hall.
At a star-studded Clinton fundraiser in October 2016, John entertained attendees with a set of hits. "We need a humanitarian in the White House, not a barbarian," John told the crowd, adding that Clinton stood for "equality, decency, kindness and respect."
Months earlier, in a summer 2016 interview with Mic, John was more directly critical of Trump politically, telling the news site: "He'll marginalize people. He's already doing it."
John would go on to wish Donald Trump well in his presidency, as he turned down the opportunity to perform at his 2017 inauguration—while also leaving the door open.
"I was honoured to perform at a White House State Dinner for the UK during the [Bill] Clinton presidency and I would be delighted to do the same for you if the opportunity arises," read John's email, per the Times. "I also want to wish you every success with your presidency. I love America deeply, a country that has always welcomed me and my music with kind, tolerant and open arms."
No such performance came to be, as the U.K. was never welcomed to the White House by the Trump administration. Per the Times, Donald Trump's former press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, said that getting John to perform at the White House during that particular term was "definitely never an effort because we knew he wouldn't."
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
