Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong has endorsed Kamala Harris ahead of the US election today (November 5), and shared an anecdote about performing in a casino owned by Donald Trump.
- READ MORE: Green Day live in Manchester: an emphatic celebration of two timeless albums
The frontman took to Instagram last night (November 4) to encourage fans to vote for Harris and her running mate Tim Walz one final time before polls open.
Before sharing a short speech, he posted a video of him and Elvis Costello performing an acoustic version of Costello’s hit ‘Alison’ in a Trump Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“I noticed one thing, we’re on the stage, there was all these bottles of water that were on the stage and had Donald Trump’s picture on every single one of the bottles, like everything in that hotel. And it was like, like, this big sort of ode, or, you know, Trump and his sort of bullshit businessman persona.
“And so I went around these water bottles with a Sharpie, and I put Hitler moustaches on every single one of them.”
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He added: “I just want to say, vote for Harris and Walz. Kamala Harris is from the Bay Area, my wife’s from Minnesota, like Tim Walz is. So, you know, it makes perfect sense for us. We’ve already voted. No, I’m not going to put a sticker on myself.
“But anyways, yes, vote for Harris. I think there’s probably a lot of things that people disagree with, but the one thing that we do agree on, is Trump has got to go and we need to turn the page.
“So everybody get out and vote and vote for Harris. Pennsylvania, even if you’re in California, get out and vote for blue.”
Armstrong continued: “We need numbers, the numbers alone to stop Trumpism once and for all is so important, and important to our country. So we can turn the page and have a future. Thank you.”
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Armstrong has been vocally anti-Trump through the years. In June, he held up a Trump mask with the word “idiot” written across its forehead during a concert. It is reported that the mask was thrown onto the stage by a fan in the front row.
Armstrong also switched up a line in the ‘American Idiot’ title track. He sang, “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda” instead of the original line, “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda“, as he has done at previous shows.
Prior to that, at the American Music Awards (AMA) in 2016, the band led a chant of “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA”.
Last summer, the group launched a limited edition t-shirt featuring Trump‘s mugshot for charity. The ‘Ultimate Nimrod’ item used Trump’s viral mugshot to recreate their iconic ‘Nimrod’ cover, with the album’s title covering Trump’s face.
In 2018, the ‘American Idiot’ single soared up the charts in the UK as part of a campaign in protest against Trump’s visit to these shores.
During the original ‘American Idiot’ tour, Armstrong was pictured donning a mask of then-President George W. Bush with the word “idiot” written across the forehead.
Speaking to NME in 2016, Armstrong blamed the rise of Trump on “uneducated white working-class people” people and compared him to Hitler. He also told a Trump-sympathising fan to stop listening to Green Day’s music.
Other acts to have expressed their support for the VP include Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Megan Thee Stallion, Quavo, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, St. Vincent, Cardi B, Mumford & Sons and Evanescence’s Amy Lee.
In other news, Harris made a surprise guest appearance on Saturday Night Live last weekend alongside comedian Maya Rudolph.
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