You’ve heard of separating the art from the artist, now get ready for artists separating horrific politics from the politician, as Elton John did with former President Donald Trump.
Elton John: Never Too Late, the Disney+ documentary about the “Rocket Man” singer, premiered on Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). According to Variety, after the screening, John said, “Kindness will always win out… that’s what I hope for the American election in November.”
The following day, the musician began a small tour of vague, middling, and slightly contradictory remarks about American politics. While speaking with Variety at the festival, he elaborated on his election remark, but refrained from explicitly endorsing either candidate. “I don’t go on stage and say to people, ‘You must vote for the Republicans, you must vote for the Democrats.’ It’s none of my business how they vote. They come to see me, and I’m so grateful they have,” John told the magazine.
“There is a danger, as Dick Cheney said the other day. America is in a very volatile position.” The singer was referencing the former vice president’s endorsement of Kamala Harris, which Cheney publicized in a statement last Friday. In the statement, Cheney wrote, “In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”
The singer told Variety that he wants people to “vote for things that are important to people: the right to choose, the right to be who you are, and not let anybody else tell you who to be. And that goes all the way up to the Supreme Court.”
“I just hope that people make the right decision to see what the future is going to be. Is it going to be fire and brimstone … or are we going to have a much calmer, a much safer place?” John said. “People can vote for who they like, but as far as I’m concerned, I love love. And I’m a loving person, and I want that to come back to America. I feel it’s been lost in the last 12 years.”
Though John’s remarks to seemed to drop hints on his real feelings toward Trump, in another interview at TIFF, Variety asked the singer about Trump’s nickname for Kim Jong Un, “Little Rocket Man.” He told the magazine that he “laughed” and thought the moniker “was brilliant.”
“I just thought, ‘Good on you, Donald.’ … Donald’s always been a fan of mine, and he’s been to my concerts many, many times,” John said. “So, I mean, I’ve always been friendly toward him, and I thank him for his support. When he did that, I just thought it was hilarious. It made me laugh.”
Shout out to Elton John for keeping radical centrism alive and well in 2024.
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