In an interview this week, U2 singer Bono refused to say the name of President Trump (“We don’t use the T words”), implying that Trump and his supporters are responsible for democracy having an “existential crisis.” In the same interview, U2 guitarist The Edge accused a “substantial group of people” in America of “second guessing the principles of inclusion and freedom.”
To demonstrate his Trump Derangement Syndrome, Bono raised his hands up and made a T sign when saying he won’t speak Trump’s name or talk about him.
Channel 4 correspondent Siobhan Kennedy interviewed Bono and The Edge to promote the band’s three month Las Vegas residency at the Sphere, a new venue that has an immersive AI driven concert experience. Ticket prices for the 25 scheduled U2 concerts at the Sphere range from $400 to over $1000 for the 18,600 seat venue. Transcript excerpt below.
Kennedy: “You’ve been a band that’s obviously been very political about ‘global injustice’, just what keeps you up at night at the moment, what do you worry about now?”
Bono: “Who’d have thought the word freedom and would, would be up on trial. It’s, it’s a really interesting moment. All of our life, all of our adult life the world was getting more free. Sorry, since I’m, since we were born basically and, and for the first time it’s in, it’s, it’s going in reverse. We always thought you know, sexual politics were improving, gender politics, you know, race relate, everything like that, so we’re definitely at some kind of existential crisis there too.”
The Edge: “Democracy is having the existential crisis. I mean it’s very hard to imagine argument against authoritarianism both at home and abroad when this is substantial group of people, particularly in America, who are actually second guessing the principles of inclusion and freedom. But I think…”
Bono: “America is still the best idea. It just is the best idea. It just hasn’t happened yet. I’m attracted to, to freedom. I think it’s important that we demonstrate to the world what freedom looks like, what freedom acts like, so I’m I’ll bet on freedom and, and I’m, and I bet that America comes back from what from this, uh, rather low ebb it is out of presently.”
Kennedy: “Do we get lower if Trump gets in again?”
Bono: “I hope–we don’t use the T words, okay?
Kennedy: “Sorry.”
Bono: “Um, we don’t use the T words, he’s in enough headlines.”
Transcribed by TGP.
Kennedy also asked about the massive amounts of energy U2’s residency at the Sphere will consume. The Edge said the band will be “drawing down” carbon instead of using offsets in an effort to balance out the carbon emissions and may end up storing more carbon than the show emits.
Bono was a guest of Jill Biden at this year’s State of the Union address.
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