FOO FIGHTERS Guitarist Says TRUMP Supporters Are Not 'The Enemy'

According to The Pulse Of Radio, FOO FIGHTERS guitarist Chris Shiflett was asked about the current political climate in an interview with European publication Powerplay, and he replied that he understands how the sense that the working class has been ignored could lead to certain types of leaders coming to power. Shiflett explained: "There's a worldwide populist backlash against the power elite, heading all of us in a certain direction… That rears its head in the ugliness of Donald Trump, and I know you guys have your own version of that, and all over Europe there's a populist, right-wing parties popping up, and it's fucking scary."

Shiflett continued, "I'm an old-fashioned Democrat... I don't view Trump supporters as the enemy. I don't agree with them politically, but a lot of people who voted for Obama turned around and voted for Trump, so we need to find out why that is. If the left don't reach those people, we're in really big trouble. Working people are not our enemy."

Shiflett admitted: "The reality is that I haven't been part of the working class in a fucking long time, but I don't wanna shake my roots. I like my roots, I like where I came from."

FOO FIGHTERS in general have been staunch supporters of Democratic candidates in the past, playing fundraisers for both John Kerry and Barack Obama in past campaigns.

FOO FIGHTERS leader Dave Grohl told The Pulse Of Radio a while back why he feels it's important for the band to get involved. "Before we were ever in this band, we were American citizens, we were human beings, and there's some things that are important to us outside of the band, like the future of the country and the future of the environment and the world that our children have to live in in 15 or 20 years," he said. "And it's our responsibility to do what we can to try to better that."

The FOO FIGHTERS broke a year-plus hiatus last month with a surprise U.K. club show to celebrate their confirmation as headliners for this year's Glastonbury festival.

The show was the first official FOO FIGHTERS gig since November 2015, although Grohl has done a few low-key solo appearances and the band played at benefit events last October and last month.

A string of European dates in the summer have also been announced, along with one U.S. festival appearance in California, but the FOO FIGHTERS have yet to announce plans for a new album.