Former Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten told the world that the “left-wing media” in America are to blame for Donald Trump’s racist persona. This comes less than a year after he called Trump’s supporters “hateful and ignorant” and that Trump was “wrong” for America. While in November 2015, Rotten told America, “Don’t you dare vote for Donald Trump,” during an appearance on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
The Public Image Limited singer made his latest statements during an interview with Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain. Rotten, real name John Lydon, 61, said:
What I dislike is the left-wing media in America are trying to smear the bloke as a racist, and that’s completely not true. There’s many, many problems with him as a human being, but he’s not that, and there just might be a chance something good will come out of that situation, because he terrifies politicians.
He added, “Dare I say, a possible friend.” This marks a massive change in opinion for Rotten who said in an April 2016 interview that he couldn’t see Trump being elected. Rotten added, “It’s a minority at best that support him, and it’s so hateful and ignorant. I agree with the basic principle that we’re all fed up with politicians, but you can’t replace them with businessmen, which is surely the more corrupt form!”
Rotten continued, “It’s deeply ironic and sad that people resort to running to a businessman – and one who is famous for managing to bankrupt a casino/hotel. How do you do that? Surely it’s the biggest money earner in the world! But people still can’t see the wood for the trees there. Everything instinctively tells me that he is a wrong’un – and I think he’s just one short temper away from World War Three, that fella!”
Rotten has been a U.S. citizen since 2013. Still, he weighed in on Brexit and said, “Where do I stand on Brexit? Well, here it goes: The working class have spoke, and I’m one of them, and I’m with them. And there it is.” Rotten went on to call Nigel Farage, the unofficial leader of Brexit, “Fantastic.”
A 2012 Guardian op-ed noted that Rotten regards Mahatma Gandhi as his all-time hero.