No matter how many times President Donald Trump jams out to Guns N’ Roses, singer Axl Rose will continue to fire shots at the nation’s leader.
Yesterday (May 5), Trump visited an Arizona-based Honeywell 3M factory manufacturing N-95 protective masks — while not wearing a face mask. He blasted an assortment of catchy tunes during his stay, including GNR’s “Live and Let Die” despite the anti-Trump musician’s formal request made last year to stop playing his music.
Billboard revisited all the times Rose purposefully pricked Trump since his 2016 presidential election.
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November 2016 – Rose calls out Trump for nominating Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.
Shortly after the 2016 presidential election, Trump formally nominated Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to be his Attorney General. Rose quickly voiced his opinion on the selection by excluding Trump from who he determines to be “good people” who “don’t listen to, acknowledge, nominate or elect people like Senator Jeff Sessions.”
Good people don't listen to, acknowledge, nominate or elect people like Senator Jeff Sessions.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 18, 2016
November 2016 – He mocks the President after Vice President-elect Mike Pence gets “harassed” at Hamilton show.
When then-VP-elect Pence attended a showing of Hamilton, the Broadway musical’s cast turned the stage into a political platform by urging him to “uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us” at curtain call. But Trump took to Twitter per usual and complained that the incident was harassment toward his right-hand man who deserved an apology. But GNR’s lead vocalist squared up on the same social media platform, asking the Commander in Chief, “Do u ever stop whining?”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/799972624713420804?s=20
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/799974635274194947?s=20
"Hamilton Cast harassed Pence." Do u ever stop whining?An apology?Seriously?!U won,this is the job,get on with it or get out of the kitchen.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 19, 2016
December 2016 – Guns N’ Roses bring fans onstage to destroy a Trump piñata.
At a Mexico City concert, Guns N’ Roses decided to get festive while bashing the President-elect at the time by encouraging fans to destroy an on-stage piñata resembling Trump. “Let’s bring up some people and give them a f—ing stick,” Rose said at the time when the crew assisted concertgoers onto the stage. “Express yourselves however you feel.”
October 2017 – Rose serves Pence the White House bill for abruptly leaving Colts-49ers game.
When NFL players took a knee during the national anthem at the Colts-49ers game, the Vice President decided to step out of the stands “because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem,” he tweeted at the time. The GNR frontman took a stand and sarcastically thanked the White House for “the $200K Colts game PR stunt,” referring to CNN’s estimated airfare price for Pence’s weekend excursion on taxpayers’ dollar.
I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem.
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) October 8, 2017
Thanks WH 4 the $200k Colts game PR stunt.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) October 9, 2017
January 2018 – He defines the White House as “the current US gold standard of what can be considered disgraceful.”
After former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dodged reporters’ questions about Trump’s mental state by hurling insults at them such as calling them “disgraceful,” Rose decided to turn her words inside out. “The WH is the current US gold standard of what can be considered disgraceful,” he tweeted in his rant. “Along with several other condescending adjectives the current WH has no room to call virtually anyone disgraceful.”
The WH is the current US gold standard of what can be considered disgraceful.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) January 4, 2018
Along with several other condescending adjectives the current WH has no room to call virtually anyone disgraceful.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) January 4, 2018
February 2018 – Rose takes jabs at Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
After President Trump faced several accusations of inappropriate behavior from multiple women, his daughter and senior advisor Ivanka Trump decided to set the record straight. “I think it’s a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he’s affirmatively stated there’s no truth to it,” she responded in an NBC News interview. But Rose labeled her appointment to the White House as “inappropriate.” He later blasted her husband and Trump’s other senior advisor Jared Kushner.
“Do you believe your father’s [sexual misconduct] accusers?” –@PeterAlexander
“I think it’s a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he’s affirmatively stated there’s no truth to it.” –@IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/23AVPgcOdE
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 26, 2018
What’s inappropriate is Ivanka Trump being part of the White House Administration.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) February 26, 2018
“Kushner loses access to top-secret intelligence.” Ah, that’s a relief. Now deliver him to Klytus 4 post clearance “conditioning” n’ a Level 6 precautionary Mind Wipe.🚀🤷🏼♂️
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) February 27, 2018
September 2018 – The GNR frontman compares Trump’s assessment of Sessions to his own assessment of Trump.
Trump swung at his former Attorney General with an obliterating remark during an interview with The Hill after Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation. “I don’t have an attorney general. It’s very sad,” Trump said. And guess who swung right back? Rose.
Trump rips into Jeff Sessions: 'I don't have an Attorney General'
And we don’t have a President.— Axl Rose (@axlrose) September 19, 2018
October 2018 – Kanye West meets with Trump, which Rose dismisses as a “joke” and “attention-seeking nonsense.”
Avid Trump supporter Kanye West secured a meeting at the White House to discuss a range of random topics, from the Chicago rapper’s wearing the red “Make America Great Again” hat to reducing the crime rate in the Southside of his home state. Rose later voiced how he wasn’t a fan of either.
What a joke. Not gonna solve anything in Chicago or anywhere else with any of that attention seeking nonsense.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) October 11, 2018
November 2018 – Rose slams Trump’s campaign for using GNR songs without permission.
Trump likes walking out to GNR hits such as “Sweet Child O’ Mine” during his rallies, but the band’s frontman proclaimed the gig was up before the 2018 midterm elections, as did Rihanna. He described the President as an individual “that will say n’ do anything w/no regard for truth, ethics, morals or empathy of any kind.” “Just so ya know… GNR like a lot of artists opposed to the unauthorized use of their music at political events has formally requested r music not b used at Trump rallies or Trump associated events,” he started writing as part of a lengthy Twitter thread. “Unfortunately the Trump campaign is using loopholes in the various venues’ blanket performance licenses which were not intended for such craven political purposes, without the songwriters’ consent. Can u say ‘sh–bags?!'”
Just so ya know… GNR like a lot of artists opposed to the unauthorized use of their music at political events has formally requested r music not b used at Trump rallies or Trump associated events.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 4, 2018
Unfortunately the Trump campaign is using loopholes in the various venues’ blanket performance licenses which were not intended for such craven political purposes, without the songwriters’ consent.
Can u say “shitbags?!”💩
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 4, 2018
Personally I kinda liked the irony of Trump supporters listening to a bunch of anti Trump music at his rallies but I don’t imagine a lot of ‘em really get that or care.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 4, 2018
And when ur phone’s blowin’ up cuz peeps r seein’/hearin’ Sweet Child on the news at a rally… as a band we felt we should clarify r position. Peace!🇺🇸
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 4, 2018
As far as I’m concerned anyone can enjoy GNR 4 whatever reason n’ there’s truth 2 the saying “u can’t choose your fans” n’ we’re good w/that.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 4, 2018
Having said that my personal position is that the Trump administration along w/the majority of Republicans in Congress n’ their donors that support him 4 their own agendas r doing r nation a disservice.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 4, 2018
We have an individual in the WH that will say n’ do anything w/no regard for truth, ethics, morals or empathy of any kind, who says what’s real is fake n’ what’s fake is real.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 4, 2018
Who will stop at nothing 4 power feeding off the anger n’ resentment he sows 24/7 while constantly whining how whatever doesn’t go his way is unfair.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 4, 2018
Most of us in America have never experienced anything this obscene at this level in r lifetimes n’ if we as a country don’t wake up n’ put an end 2 this nonsense now it’s something we definitely will all pay hard 4 as time goes on.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 4, 2018
November 2018 – Rose fires back at Trump for blaming the California wildfires on others.
The President neglected climate change and accused poor forest management as the cause of the California wildfires while even threatening to cut federal financial relief. But Rose swooped in to point fingers at Trump as the “root” of the problem. “Um…actually…it’s a lack of federal funding that’s at the ‘root’ of the purported forest mismanagement,” the GNR vocalist shot back. “Only a demented n’ truly pathetic individual would twist that around n’ use a tragedy to once again misrepresent facts for attempted public/political gain at other’s expense.”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1061168803218948096?s=20
Um…actually…it’s a lack of federal funding that’s at the “root” of the purported forest mismanagement. Only a demented n’ truly pathetic individual would twist that around n’ use a tragedy to once again misrepresent facts for attempted public/political gain at other’s expense
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) November 11, 2018
February 2020 – He tips his hat to Trump in his first tweet of the year
Rose sprung back up on Twitter with a subtweet intended for none other than the President. The 58-year-old rockstar posted a picture of a man wearing a blue “MAKE THE WHITE HOUSE GREAT AGAIN” hat, hinting at the potential seat change during the 2020 presidential election.
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) February 10, 2020