Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong calls for ‘something drastic’ to remove Donald Trump from office

'It feels like there's been a death in the family'

Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has spoken out about the shock victory of Donald Trump in the Presidential election – saying it feels like ‘a death in the family’ and calling for ‘something drastic to remove him from office. Watch our video interview with the band above.

The ‘Revolution Radio’ and ‘American Idiot’ singer compared Donald Trump to Hitler and revealed that even some of his own family were Trump voters in the run-up to the election. Speaking to NME after the results were revealed, Armstrong said that the weight of the Republican’s victory were difficult for the nation to comprehend – and why ‘everybody is scared out of their minds.

“Well everything feels brand new right now, and pretty raw – but but I don’t think anybody was prepared and that’s why you see so much shock and outrage right now,” Armstrong told NME. “Nobody thought Trump would win and that’s why everybody is scared out of their minds, but I think that when you get desperate and feel that you’re not heard. Already, you are starting to see demonstrations. for example there were 100,000 people in New York and there’s a lot more to come. I hope that continues.”

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WATCH MORE: Exclusive update from Green Day on the ‘surreal, offensive’ American Idiot movie

Armstrong continued: “I think a lot of people are grieving, it’s like there has been a death in the family. That’s what’s going on. So I know it’s really hard to laugh while you’re scared – that’s what comedians say, so most people are scared. When the smoke begins to clear, you’ll see creative people speaking out.”

Green Day Revolution Radio Q&A

We’re live for a special Q&A from Warner Music UK’s London HQ!

Posted by Green Day on Friday, November 11, 2016

Straight after our NME interview, Green Day gave a live Q&A from their Warner Bros record label London HQ.

Speaking of the election, Armstrong elaborated: “I don’t any of us were really prepared for this at all. If you look at what’s going on in the States right now, just the campaign alone, you’re starting to see fallout already with anti-Semitism, white supremacist groups spraypainting and kids in cafeterias around Mexican kids saying ‘build a wall’. This is becoming the new norm in the United States right now. No one was prepared.

He added: “I fucking hate Donald Trump. He’s not my President, he doesn’t represent a large half of the country, he doesn’t even represent the people that voted for him. There’s a working class people that wanted change and they were maybe somehow desensitised by all the racist rhetoric. I don’t think a lot of them actually are racist people, but the fact is that we voted him into office. Hopefully, something drastic will happen in the future where he’s not in office any more.”

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Green Day recently confirmed to NME that production on the movie adaptation of their seminal ‘American Idiot’ album is well underway, having been given the ‘green light’ by HBO.

READ MORE: Why Green Day are the ‘greatest living punk band’

The band return to the UK to tour in early 2017, performing at Leeds First Direct Arena 5 February, Manchester Arena (6) and London O2 Arena (8) – and will headline British Summer Time Festival at Hyde Park in London on Saturday 1 July.

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