Janelle Monae has described the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic as “evil”.
The singer and actress, who refuses to say Donald Trump’s name out loud, said that she believes the US government cannot be relied upon to tell the truth over the crisis.
She told Vanity Fair: “I’ve been trying to help the band and the crew as much as I can.
“I’ve been trying. I’ll have to figure out different ways to financially support myself. There was a moment where I did break down and cry. Not just for myself, but for everybody this is affecting – everybody who’s going to lose somebody.”
She added: “I’ve been doing a lot of organising, because we are not all in the same boat.
“Staying at home for me is different than staying at home and not working for a mom with five kids, when she’s single and can’t afford to pay her rent or pay for food for her kids.”
She said she is furious about response to the virus, adding: “The way our government is handling things – especially this administration – is evil.
“We can’t trust this administration to tell us the truth, to protect us. It’s always going to be power first. It’s always going to be capitalism first.”
However, she said she sees reasons to be optimistic about the future, and went on: “There can be a real uprising. The majority of us do not want to continue to see things be the way that they are.
“We’re demanding better health care for ourselves, demanding people listen to scientists as it pertains to the environment, as it pertains to our health.”