Even yacht rock icon Michael McDonald is criticising Donald Trump and the US government
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Doobie Brothers singer/keyboard player and yacht rock kingpin Michael McDonald has joined the chorus of musicians criticising the current US government.
The title track of the Doobie Brothers' brand new studio album, Walk This Road, is a thinly condemnation of the Donald Trump-led administration. In a brand new interview in the current issue of Classic Rock, McDonald – who co-wrote the song with Doobies producer John Shanks – reveals that the track was inspired by his worries that the nation could be heading towards 'totalitarianism' at the hands of Trump and associates.
'I think it's important that all of us stand up and say our piece,' McDonald says of the track, which features an appearance from legendary US singer Mavis Staples. 'Here in the US these are perilous times, I'm afraid. We are staring down a dark channel that could lead to totalitarianism.
'We've got a guy who doesn't want to be President Of The Unites States as much as he wants to be one of the points of light – the whole axis of everything. He wants the world.
'We have to be very careful of that, and we should speak out against it while we still can. I have no doubt that should they get their own way, this administration would shut down the press completely.'
McDonald isn't the first musician to criticise Trump in recent days. On May 14, Bruce Springsteen launched an attack on the president onstage at a show in Manchester, England, stating that the US "is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration' and calling for 'all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against the authoritarianism, and let freedom ring.'
After Trump responded by calling Springsteen a 'dried out 'prune' of a rocker' and said he is 'not a talented guy' on his Truth Social network, the likes of Neil Young, Pearl Jam and Robert Plant stepped up to defend The Boss.
'Stop thinking about what rockers are saying,' wrote Young on his website. 'Think about saving America from the mess you made.'
Read the full interview with the Doobie Brothers in the brand new issue of Classic Rock, onsale now. Order it online and have it delivered straight to your door.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
13 minutes ago
- CNBC
Protesters rally against ICE for second day in Los Angeles
Federal agents in Los Angeles on Saturday faced off against demonstrators protesting immigration raids following Friday's protests that senior White House aide Stephen Miller condemned as an "insurrection" against the United States. The security agents on Saturday engaged in a tense confrontation with protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where one demonstrator was seen waving a Mexican flag and some covered their mouths with respiratory masks. A live video feed showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conductedenforcement operationsin the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that "1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property." Reuters was unable to verify DHS's accounts. Miller, an immigration hardliner and the White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X that Friday's demonstrations were "an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States." The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also included people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. In a statement on Saturday about the protests in Paramount, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said: "It appeared that federal law enforcement officers were in the area, and that members of the public were gathering to protest." ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to a request for information about the protests or potential immigration sweeps on Saturday. Television news footage earlier on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. The Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, in a statement condemned the immigration raids. "I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this." The LAPD did not take part in the immigration enforcement. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and gathered outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were reportedly being held. In a statement, DHS criticized Democratic politicians including Mayor Bass, saying their anti-ICE rhetoric was contributing to violence against immigration agents. "From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is beyond the pale. This violence against ICE must end," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino posted on X that they were reviewing evidence from the protests. "We are working with the U.S. Attorney's Office to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice," Bongino said.
New York Post
18 minutes ago
- New York Post
Ted Cruz was with president when Musk's barrage of attacks started: ‘Trump was pissed'
Sen. Ted Cruz was with a fuming President Trump as Elon Musk viciously attacked his former ally online Thursday — with the Texas Republican saying the spat made him feel like he was a kid in the middle of a divorce. 'I was sitting in the Oval as this unfolded. Trump was pissed. He was venting,' the Republican senator revealed on his podcast 'Verdict with Ted Cruz' Friday. 'I was sitting there, and the tweets were coming…. Elon was saying some really harsh things.' The SpaceX and Tesla billionaire went on a multi-day social media offensive against Trump, panning the president's 'big, beautiful' reconciliation bill 'disgusting' and urging Congress to kill it. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk fumed after Trump spoke out about the simmering feud. Cruz, who's friends with both former bros, called their very public break-up this week 'incredibly painful.' 'These are two men whom I know very well, they're both good friends of mine,' he said. 3 President Trump and Tesla billionaire Elon Musk came to blows on social media this week, ending their bromance. AFP via Getty Images 'I feel like the kids of a bitter divorce where you're just saying, 'I really wish mommy and daddy would stop screaming.'' 3 Ted Cruz talked about the break-up this Friday on his podcast 'Verdict with Ted Cruz.' Verdict with Ted Cruz/Facebook Trump and Musk's tiff escalated later in the week — with Trump threatening to cancel billions of dollars in government contracts to Musk's companies and Musk claiming Trump was holding out on making the Jeffrey Epstein files public because he's in them. 3 Trump and Musk's tiff escalated later in the week. Getty Images 'It just went from zero to 11 instantaneously,' said Cruz. 'These are two alpha males who are pissed off. And unfortunately, they're unloading on each other … They're angry, it's not complicated.' Cruz and his co-host commented that they thought both men are right — Trump's big beautiful budget bill has to get passed but the government has to tackle the deficit more as Musk argued. 'Unfortunately, Elon is working under the assumption that Congress actually wants to do the job and save our country,' said podcast co-host Ben Ferguson. 'And I think Trump is working under the reality that there's a lot of people in Congress that actually aren't looking out for the American people.' Musk on Saturday deleted his post about the Epstein files in a sign he was ready to throw in the towel. But Trump made it clear he wasn't interested in kissing and making up anytime soon. 'I have no intention of speaking to him,' he told NBC News.
Boston Globe
32 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
US consulates to resume processing visas for Harvard students, report says
'I don't think anyone who's overseas studying in America is feeling secure at this point,' said Boston-based immigration attorney Annelise Araujo. 'If I'm a student, I'm thinking twice about whether I want to go through this.' Advertisement On Wednesday, Trump dramatically escalated his attempts to punish the university when he announced a directive to deny visas to all Also on Thursday, Harvard filed an opposition in court to Trump's move and, late that night, won a temporary stay from a federal judge in Boston, preventing the president from moving ahead with his plan. Advertisement Then came Friday night's cable, rescinding the one sent out Thursday, according to the Post. The news organization reported that the latest cable, sent at 7:55 p.m., said the consulates 'must resume processing of Harvard University student and exchange visitor visas.' On Saturday, Harvard and the State Department both declined to comment or confirm the Post's reporting. 'It's a step in the right direction,' Araujo, the immigration attorney, told the Globe of the news about the latest cable. 'I don't think students should be a pawn between the administration and Harvard.' Still, Araujo and others who work with international students say uncertainty and negative headlines are sowing uncertainty and worry among foreigners considering studying in the US, leading many to consider continuing their studies elsewhere. Both Harvard and the Trump administration are next due in court on June 16 as the legal battle moves ahead. Dan Berger, an immigration attorney from Northampton who works with colleges and people seeking student visas, said the constant changes in policy cause as much concern as anything. 'I'm sure this will impact the number of foreign students,' he said. 'If the goal is to discourage people from coming to the US to study, that's probably what's going to happen.' Globe staff reporter Brooke Hauser contributed. Sean Cotter can be reached at
