Billy Eichner: Donald Trump Is ‘So Transparently Full of S— — It’s Shameful’
Billy Eichner, the brash, pop-culture-obsessed star of “Billy on the Street” and “Difficult People,” is no fan of Donald Trump. And he’s got a message for any member of the administration who aspires to run around the streets of Manhattan with him, pestering passersby for their thoughts on the final season of “Bones” or the golden age of Margot Robbie: Not interested.
Variety sat down with Eichner to hear about his fears for gay rights, his plans for Inauguration Day, and who should play the Donald in a biopic.
What advice would you give President Trump?
As Vice President Biden said, he needs to grow up. Trump never thought he was going to win — this was all done for publicity and to expand his “brand.” He did all of this to try to sell more steaks. I sound like I’m joking, but I’m not. He managed to dupe a very gullible, uneducated and/or bigoted section of the American electorate into voting for him, and now he’s stuck with a job he doesn’t really want. He just wants to be famous and make headlines. Obviously, I’m not saying anything a million people haven’t already said, but that’s the truth. He’s so transparently full of s— — it’s shameful. And I don’t see him changing — he’s a lost cause. It’s up to the rest of us to fight the good fight against him and his cronies who could drag us back 50 years both socially and economically if we let them.
JAKE CHESSUM for Variety |
How will you spend Inauguration Day?
It’s going to be a very sad day for America, and for people all over the world, really. Part of me feels a need to watch, but part of me wants to just live-tweet reruns of “The Golden Girls,” because I feel like people are going to need some escape from the sadness and disgracefulness of it all, including me.
Are you concerned about what a Trump administration will mean for LGBT rights?
Yes, very much so. Our new vice president, Mike Pence, is one of the most blatantly anti-LGBT politicians in the country, and most, if not all, of Trump’s cabinet is anti LGBT equality as well. Unfortunately for them, the majority of the country, especially young people, are very much in favor of equal rights for all LGBT people, and no one mobilizes like the gay community. So they really don’t know who they’re fucking with.
How do you want Democrats to respond to his presidency?
We have to remain vigilant and loud and stay consistently engaged with our representatives and the political process every single day, on both a macro and micro level. We need to be relentless in the pursuit of our goals and make sure these assholes don’t get in the way of social and economic progress. I believe a lot of it starts on the ground and, in small ways, within our local communities. The people we elect into our local governments, our local school boards, etc. It all matters and I think this is a wake-up call that could, in a best-case scenario, fire up a very apathetic electorate.
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Who would you like to see run for president in 2020?
I do love Vice President Biden, as many of us do, and I would support him. On the other hand, I think we may need new blood, the way we did with President Obama in 2008.
What issues do you hope Melania Trump will tackle as first lady?
Melania sold her soul to the devil a long time ago. I see her doing the minimal amount required over the next four years. If she wants to stay in New York and raise her son and do, well, whatever it is she does, then that’s fine by me.
Is there anyone in Trump’s camp you’d like to have on “Billy on the Street”?
Hell no. Unless they decide to put Debra Messing in the cabinet, in which case I may reconsider.
Who should play Trump in a biopic?
Jabba the Hut.
Do you have a favorite Trump-branded property or product?
Yes. The poop emoji.
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