Lead singer of the Sex Pistols John Lydon, better known as Johnny Rotten, defended and called President Donald Trump a “possible friend” in an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Monday. Even for a punk rock iconoclast known for loud opinions, the move was a shock.
Lydon dismissed accusations that Trump is racist. Lydon believes something “good” can come out of the current political situation in America “because it terrifies politicians,” and that is a “joy to behold” for the singer.
In an interview with Virgin Radio on Tuesday, Lydon elaborated:
“America now has a new President and whether you like him or not you have to support him or you will destroy the country. You got to make things work,” he said.
Lydon also defended Brexit, describing Nigel Farage’s movement as “fantastic.”
“For the next week and a half the rag-and-bone trade that we call the media is going to be calling me a racist, that’s the tomfoolery of it all,” Lydon said. “That’s going to be damn upsetting all over again to my grandkids, isn’t it?”
The singer added that he himself has been accused of racism before by Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke, for allegedly calling his “black attitude” out at a 2008 Barcelona festival.
