When Bono Talks About Trump…
Bono
What would we all be doing without Bono? We should all be grateful that the U2 frontman has finally spoken against Trump… as usual, stating the obvious. In an episode of Charlie Rose, Bono warned America: ‘Look, America is like the best idea the world ever came up with. But Donald Trump is potentially the worst idea that ever happened to America, potentially’, he proclaimed as if he was coming with a revelation. Because I was just waiting for Bono to tell me Trump is a dangerous candidate.
Is he saying something important? No! He barely denounces the Republican candidate, he doesn’t even point to the reasons why Trump should be hated,… like the fact that Trump doesn’t want to release his taxes? But wait, Bono’s own tax arrangement is a shady business too! He says he is an Irish man later in the conversation but shouldn’t he have added he doesn’t pay his taxes in Ireland?
Trump’s very personal conception of a charity business was in the news on Wednesday: the Donald Trump Foundation money was used to litigate lawsuits against opponents of Trump’s business interests. This is a fact and may just be the tip of the iceberg, Trump is a con artist and a crook, so shouldn’t Bono talk about this instead of coming up with vague statement like Trump is the worst idea? However, Bono’s own charities are far from having a perfect record either… If Bono was denouncing Trump on any of these points, he would pass for a complete hypocrite,… but wait, Bono is a hypocrite? He actually may have more in common with Trump than he thinks.
Plus this America is-an-idea statement is a ridiculous abstraction that only a billionaire like Bono could come up with. America is a place where a lot of people are struggling to make a living right now, and should I repeat this to the hundreds of homeless people I meet when I go downtown LA? As usual, Bono wants to pass for a intellectual, but he just sounds pretentious and out of touch with reality.
And the more he speaks, the more he reveals his true nature, admitting he has spent his entire career trying to remain ‘fiercely bipartisan’, counting many Republicans among his friends. That sounds very Bono, always politically correct, trying to be friends with everyone. However, politics don’t work like this, you have to take a side.
‘I don’t think he’s a Republican,’ he continues, ‘I think he’s hijacked the party, and I think he’s trying to hijack the idea of America. And I think it’s bigger than all of us. I think this is really dangerous … Wise people of conscience should not let this man turn your country into a casino.’
Duh! Where are these wise people? America may be an idea according to Bono, but it’s still a democracy, which gives the right to vote to many idiots. Trump could be elected in November, and it’s certainly not Bono’s mild patronizing discourse on PBS that is going to influence anyone. Media have to be more aggressive and denounces Trump’s rogue business.
A long time ago, U2 was an idea, which turned badly when it was hijacked by a narcissistic and condescending Irish frontman with a big-ego complex… not unlike the Republican party.
