Linda Ronstadt did not hold back in an open letter condemning Donald Trump when she learned that the former president would be speaking at a concert venue named in her honor.
“I don’t just deplore his toxic politics, his hatred of women, immigrants and people of color, his criminality, dishonesty and ignorance — although there’s that,” the singer wrote, before singling out Trump’s policy of family separation at the border as a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
The statement by the platinum-selling singer, who lives in San Francisco, comes ahead of Thursday night’s campaign rally at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall in Tucson, Ronstadt’s hometown, which she described as having “deep Mexican American roots and a joyful, tolerant spirit.”
In her sign-off, Ronstadt referred to Trump facing multiple allegations of rape and sexual assault, and being found liable for sexual abuse in a court of law.
“Trump first ran for president warning about rapists coming in from Mexico,” Ronstadt wrote. “I’m worried about keeping the rapist out of the White House.”
Ronstadt, an 11-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, has criticized Trump and his policies before, comparing his tactics on immigration specifically to those of Adolf Hitler. (Ronstadt has been a longtime advocate for the Mexican American community.)
In her statement, she wrote that she would prefer to ignore Trump, “but since the building has my name on it, I need to say something.”
Read the full statement below.
