Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Johnny Rotten: Sex Pistols star claims Trump is ‘only sensible choice’ in US election

Singer said he’d be ‘daft as a brush’ to vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden

Annabel Nugent
Tuesday 13 October 2020 09:09 BST
Comments
Johnny Rotten's TV rant

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sex Pistols’ frontman John Lydon has voiced his support for Donald Trump, claiming that the president is the “only sensible choice”.

The endorsement comes as a surprise given that the singer – stage name Johnny Rotten – previously announced that he had backed Democratic nominees Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton in past US elections.

Lydon told The Observer that he now supports Trump because of the president’s approach to the economy.

The London-born musician became a US citizen in 2013 and currently lives in Los Angeles.

He said: “I’d be daft as a brush not to. He’s the only sensible choice now that Biden is up – he’s incapable of being the man at the helm.”

The paper suggests that Lydon began supporting Trump after the president was accused of racism. “I’ve been accused of the very same thing, so I’m offended for anybody who’s called that,” said Lydon. He went on to add: “Of course I’m anti-racism.”

In 2008, members of Lydon’s entourage were accused of being racially abusive during a backstage fight at a reunited Sex Pistols gig.

When asked about the murder of George Floyd, Lydon replied that it was “ghastly” but that “it doesn’t mean all police are nasty or all white folk are racist”. He summed up by saying: “Because all lives matter.”

Asked if he would definitely be voting for Trump on 3 November, Lydon produced a MAGA cap and declared: “I am.”

The 64-year-old, who has also been vocal in his support of Brexit, has previously been photographed wearing a red MAGA T-shirt.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in