Given he’s been a megawatt star for more than half a century, it’s odd to think that Rod Stewart has opinions on anything as Johnny-come-lately as the Department of Government Efficiency. In a new interview with The Times of London ahead of his set at Glastonbury, the British icon aimed both barrels at Donald Trump and Elon Musk and let them have it.
The wide-ranging talk turned to American politics by way of the Russia-Ukraine war. Stewart was no big fan of the way that Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was treated during his visits to the White House. Those tense Oval Office get-togethers famously blew up when Vice President JD Vance chastised the European leader for failing to wear a suit.
“Did you see the way Zelenskyy was treated for not wearing a tie when he went to the White House? I could have jumped on [Trump and Vance]. And it backfired because no one liked it,” he said, before pointing out the hypocrisy of keeping the shabbily dressed Elon Musk around. “You’ve got the other d**khead, the one with the motor car company, coming in wearing a baseball cap … Mate, it’s depressing.”
The Faces frontman went on to criticize American and British handling of the war in Gaza, drawing comparisons between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Adolf Hitler.
Start your day with essential news from Salon.
Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.
“It’s depressing, what’s going on in the Gaza Strip,” he said. “Netanyahu doesn’t realize that this is what happened to his people under the Nazis: total annihilation. And Trump is going to turn the Gaza Strip into Miami?… America [signed] a $47 billion arms deal with Israel. I think the British are still selling arms to the Israelis. How is it ever going to stop?”
Read more
about this topic
