Joan Baez Blasts Billionaire "Incompetents" for Ruining US Democracy: "Our System is Combusting"

Folk music legend Joan Baez Has shared an eye-opening message regarding the present condition of U.S. politics and those who presently lead the nation.

The trailblazing singer and civil rights advocate, portrayed by Monica Barbaro in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown ,, making these remarks during an appearance on the inaugural episode of Netflix’s Everyone's Life with John Mulaney .

The 84-year-old made her first appearance during the second season premiere of the talk show alongside Michael Keaton, Fred Armisen, Jessica Roy, and music from Cypress Hill. When she began speaking, Baez mentioned needing to "provide some background" as to why she was present.

"You mentioned I can express whatever I like out here," Baez told Mulaney. "The idea is for us all to let loose and enjoy ourselves, even when we acknowledge that our democracy is literally burning down... We're essentially under the control of some extremely inept billionaires." The audience in the studio responded with enthusiastic clapping.

Baez never explicitly mentioned either. Donald Trump or Elon Musk However, she was most probably alluding to the present U.S. president and the CEO of Tesla. Musk currently leads the company. Department of Government Efficiency , which has been cutting back federally funded programs since it took office in January.

Baez didn't limit herself to just referencing Musk. Her assistant actually advised her to purchase a Tesla, however, she succeeded in crashing it mere moments after taking the wheel.

I despised that vehicle," Baez stated. "Yet, I believed I should have enjoyed it. Therefore, I took it for a drive. In less than 45 minutes, I crashed it into an oak tree on my land. At that moment, I figured it was a sign.

Baez backed Kamala Harris during the 2024 U.S. election – and even did so. changed the lyrics of "America the Beautiful" To demonstrate support for the Democratic nominee, she performed a poignant and simplified version where she altered the original lyrics from "Crown thy good with brotherhood" to "Crown thy good with sisterhood."

She captioned the video: "The times are changing... Let's top off our goodness with sisterhood. Sign up to vote at vote.org or headcount.org and VOTE BLUE!"

Speaking to The Independent in May 2024 When discussing climate change and Trump, Baez revealed her bleak sense of humor.

She said: “No matter how many of us tried to make people aware, it’s caught up with us. Mother Earth is in a rage, and you really can’t blame her. I don’t want to have my life dictated by fear, but sometimes it’s just overwhelming to wake up at night and think ‘What, if anything, is there going to be for my granddaughter?’

Maybe nothing at all? We might not make it. Here’s a dark humor piece I came up with: getting wiped out by climate change would actually be considered fortunate since President Trump wouldn’t have the chance to establish extermination camps. It sounds terrible, yet unfortunately, it holds some truth.

The Independent has consistently maintained a worldwide viewpoint. Rooted in strong foundations of exceptional international journalism and analysis, The Independent now boasts a reach that seemed unimaginable upon its launch as a newcomer in the UK media landscape. In the post-World War II era, for the very first time globally, principles such as diversity, rational thinking, progressiveness, humanistic approaches, and globalization—the core tenets upheld by The Independent—are facing challenges. Nevertheless, our publication continues to expand.