Text: STORYTELLER/MH
Photo: RTBF
The man who was knighted in 2016 continues to take a clear stance. Sir Rod, who already expressed his opinion during his 2024 tour with clear statements on the war in Ukraine, speaking from the heart of many (‘Fuck Putin’), has now spoken out again with a political statement. This time, the singer's anger was directed at US President Donald Trump, who recently said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos that NATO allies might not come to the aid of the US if necessary, claiming that some nations had stayed out of the front line in Afghanistan, explicitly referring to the British armed forces.
This caused not only Sir Rod Stewart to see red in the British Isles. British government officials also vehemently complained about the US president's statements. Downing Street said the president was ‘wrong’ to belittle the role of the British armed forces, pointing out that Britain had suffered the second-highest number of military casualties after the United States.
Sir Rod Stewart then launched an all-out attack on Trump in the evening, describing his statements as unacceptable in a video he posted on social media and declaring: ‘I may be just a humble rock star, but I am also a Knight of the Realm and I have my opinion.’ He continued: ‘I was born shortly after the war and have great respect for our armed forces who fought and gave us our freedom. It therefore pains me greatly to read that Trump, a conscientious objector, is criticising our troops in Afghanistan for not being on the front line.’ Rod then highlighted the extent of British losses during the conflict, which claimed the lives of 457 British soldiers.
‘We lost over 400 of our boys,’ he said. ‘Think about their parents. Think about that. And Trump is almost calling them cowards. That's unbearable.’
He concluded with a direct appeal to Britain's political leadership, adding: ‘That's why I'm calling on you, Prime Minister Starmer and Farage, to get the draft dodger Trump to apologise. Please.’
Trump and the Maggie May singer even had something resembling a friendship at one time. However, in a recent interview with Radio Times, Stewart explained that this friendship is over. ‘I can't do it anymore,’ Rod said last summer, ‘as long as he sells weapons to Israel.’
‘We were neighbours. My house in Florida and his, Mar-a-Lago, were maybe half a mile apart. We often went to the beach together, and I was also invited to his Christmas parties,’ the singer recalls.
After his statements yesterday, Sir Rod will probably wait in vain for an invitation to the US President's next party.