RuPaul, the host of VH1's RuPaul's
Drag Race, took a swipe at President Donald Trump during an
interview with gay glossy Out.
In an Out exclusive titled
RuPaul is Everything: The Rise & Reign of America's First Drag
Superstar, RuPaul is interviewed by Fenton Bailey and Randy
Barbato, the founders of World of Wonder, which produces RuPaul's
Drag Race.
At one point in the interview, Barbato
comments on RuPaul's ability to tap into pop culture.
“I think you were also such an
observer, and you took being on the other side of the screen
[seriously], whether it was watching Diana Ross or Merv Griffin,”
Barbato said. “As a real student of pop culture, you can tap into
that and tap into the audience's collective consciousness.”
“Politicians do it all the time,”
RuPaul
responded. “Even with what’s happened with the trans ban in
the military, it’s a classic distraction technique away from all
the losses within health care. It’s a way to pull the hoi polloi,
Betty and Joe Beercan, back to support you, because that plays to
their fear and superstitions. That’s what’s happened with my
career, and that’s why it’s so important to have people who you
trust, who you can bounce ideas off of, who understand the template
you’re working with. That’s why we’ve worked so well together.”
Elsewhere in the interview, RuPaul said
that despite Trump being in the White House, the “forward thinking
is bigger than ever.”
“Throughout history there are windows
of clarity, windows of opportunity – the ’90s was one of those
times,” RuPaul said. “Clinton was in office, there was an
openness happening, and then the pendulum swung the other direction
with Bush. We’re witnessing that now. But it’s different with
this Trump administration because it’s not that the openness and
forward thinking has diminished – actually, the forward thinking is
bigger than ever. It’s that the other side feels more threatened
than ever before, so they’ve rallied around this fool and this
concept of trying to turn the clock back, which has never worked. It
feels like the stakes are higher for both sides.”