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Public Enemy rapper Chuck D calls Trump 'the epitome of a white supremacist'

But the artist believes 'sinister' Vice President Mike Pence could pose greater danger in the future

Rachel Roberts
Friday 20 October 2017 20:26 BST
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Chuck D of Public Enemy appears onstage at the Bring 'Em Home Now! 3rd Iraq War Anniversary Concert at Hammerstein Ballroom March 20, 2006 in New York City
Chuck D of Public Enemy appears onstage at the Bring 'Em Home Now! 3rd Iraq War Anniversary Concert at Hammerstein Ballroom March 20, 2006 in New York City (Getty Images)

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Rapper Chuck D has launched a blistering attack on Donald Trump, calling him “the epitome of a white supremacist”.

In an opinion piece for The Daily Beast, the Public Enemy frontman called the President “a bloated mess – and a weapon of mass distraction”.

The New York-born artist, known for his politically and socially conscious hip hop in the 1980s, went on to describe Mr Trump as a “white alpha male who looks down on other people and bullies others to get what he wants".

“If that’s not supremacy, then what the f**k is?” he asked.

He added that he does not think the President will last too much longer in the White House, either on health grounds or because he might be impeached – but the rapper warns that Vice President Mike Pence could bring a regime of “tyranny” to the United States.

The artist use the article to explain the lyrics behind his Prophets of Rage superband’s track "Hail to the Chief", which is about Mr Pence and his previous role as Governor of Indiana.

“(He) ran a regime in the state of Indiana that was a disturbing throwback rife with political and administrative bias,” the rapper wrote.

The artist, born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, said the track examines the seriousness of Mr Pence’s actions while the accompanying video asks why people are "not paying attention to this guy in the background".

“It’s important not to trivialise this dude,” he wrote. “There’s an underlying layer to this administration that is very sinister.”

Not holding back in his criticism of Mr Trump, he referred to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this year where the President failed to explicitly condemn white supremacist protesters.

“On the topic of Charlottesville, when you can’t condemn live and actual racists, you might as well be doing the Nazi salute, like Trump does in the video.

“He’s not about sharing the world; he’s about taking. He has no concern for the future of the world because he’s selfish, and is only going to be around for 10, 15 more years.”

And the rapper warned: “With all this mass distraction going on, there’s something that lies in the background that’s going to be a stench that will stink for the next 40 years, long after these people are gone.

“If you really give a damn about what world your children are going to inherit, you have to rail against these regimes now. It’s our duty.”

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