Rod Stewart weighed in on the race for the White House on Friday by calling for help for Ukraine and implicitly attacking Donald Trump.
The veteran British singer appeared at a stadium concert in Cleveland, Ohio, where he called Russia’s invasion “evil” and made a clarion call for continued support for Ukraine, showing photos of the damage it has inflicted on the Ukrainian people.
Stewart, 79, had rarely spoken out publicly about political issues before but had recently become a vocal critic of Trump, ending a longtime friendship with a Palm Beach neighbor and saying his wife had called the former president a “disgrace.” In August, he mocked Trump for “going orange,” a reference to the former president’s claim that rival Kamala Harris had “gone black.”
But making such an overtly political statement is new. At a joint concert with Billy Joel, Stewart changed outfits between songs, coming onstage in bright blue pants and shirt and a bright yellow jacket. “These are the colors of our flag. The flag of Ukraine,” he told the crowd of about 40,000. “There’s an evil war going on in Ukraine. Russia has invaded Ukraine. This song is for Ukraine, its soldiers, and for (Volodymyr) Zelensky.”
“And whoever’s next in the White House, don’t stop supporting Ukraine,” Stewart added, before singing her hit “Sailing” over footage of the Ukraine war and a photo of Zelensky for the final chorus.
The message of support, delivered in the midst of a war in a city with one of the nation’s largest Ukrainian-American communities, puts Stewart and Trump at direct odds. Democratic candidate Harris pledged unwavering support for Zelensky and his country’s war effort during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, but Trump has made no such promise. Instead, he has insisted he will end the war before returning to the presidency and suggested he could convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop it.
Harris did not specify how, but she slammed President Joe Biden for refusing to talk or negotiate with Putin. Critics say this means Biden will force Ukraine to give up its territory and its NATO ambitions. Harris on Tuesday called the comments evidence that Biden would kowtow to dictators and strongmen.
President Trump also refused to commit to continuing large amounts of military aid from the United States. Zelensky has said the aid is vital to Ukraine’s ability to continue to deter Russian forces and that assistance needs to be stepped up to prevent further losses for Ukraine. Among the U.S.-made weapons currently on the battlefield are medium-range Himar missiles, Bradley fighting vehicles, Patriot missile defense systems, and, in recent weeks, F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine has long requested to counter Russian air superiority.
Far from pledging aid, Trump during the debate suggested that Harris and Biden had failed to get European countries to adequately pay for the war. Zelensky has been lobbying Republicans to commit to continuing military aid, but has had little success persuading many in the party’s MAGA wing. Earlier this month, the president hosted South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham in Kiev. Graham is one of the few members of the hawkish Republican foreign policy establishment close to Trump, and the move was seen as an attempt to ensure that Trump has a champion in the White House if he returns to the Oval Office.