Tom Morello jokes Rage Against The Machine are “karmically entirely responsible” for Trump presidency

The band's 1999 video for 'Sleep Now In The Fire' features someone holding up a "Trump for President" sign

Tom Morello has joked that Rage Against The Machine are “karmically entirely responsible” for Donald Trump‘s presidency.

The guitarist was asked about the band’s 1999 video for ‘Sleep Now In The Fire’ in a new interview, a visual in which someone holds up a sign reading: “Trump for President”.

“Would you say, in some sense, that Rage Against the Machine predicted all this?” Morello was asked in a new interview with Interview Magazine, to which he replied: “I would say that we are karmically entirely responsible, and my apologies.”

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Expanding on the idea behind the video, Morello added: “[Director] Michael Moore just printed up some placards and handed them out to day traders who just walked around with them.

“No one paid any attention to it. It’s funny how that became an offhand joke. Offhand joke would be a good hashtag for 2020.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Morello was asked if he believes there is a modern-day equivalent to Rage Against The Machine.

“I would have to admit that I do not exactly have my ear to the pavement, as I once did, but I do know that there are always artists of every genre, whether it’s hip-hop or folk music or rock and roll, who are making music to confront the status quo,” he said.

“And they may not always be at the top of the charts, but my take is that the one responsibility that you have in order to be truly authentically human is to bring your convictions into your vocation. And that applies whether you’re in a rock and roll band or whether you’re a journalist, whether you’re a high school teacher or whether you’re in the carpenter’s union. Don’t leave behind who you are in what you do.”

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Rage Against The Machine announced reunion tour dates last year, including shows at Coachella and Reading & Leeds. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all dates on the tour have now been rescheduled for 2021 – although they won’t be returning to headline Reading & Leeds next year.

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