U2's Bono Breaks With Trump Administration as Singer Rules Out Working With Prez’s 'Fascistic' Government
Bono said he was invited to work with the Trump administration.
Nov. 9 2026, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
U2 frontman Bono has explained why he does not intend to work with Donald Trump's administration, despite previously building relationships with Republican presidents and lawmakers to advance humanitarian causes.
In a November 6 interview, the 66-year-old singer said he had been invited to engage with the administration but did not believe he could negotiate effectively with its officials. His remarks come after Trump's foreign-aid cuts disrupted programs supporting people affected by HIV/AIDS, a cause Bono has championed for decades.
Bono Says He Cannot Negotiate With Trump's Administration
Bono said he doesn’t have a plan or strategy that he thinks he could successful 'get past them.'
Discussing the possibility of working with Trump, Bono admitted that he did not feel equipped to influence the administration's decisions.
"I have been invited, but I know I'm not up to that, I don't have the ability to negotiate, it's too much," he told The Guardian.
He also explained that he lacked "a plan, a strategy for successful action, (or) a particular original idea I could get past them," adding, "Maybe just leave that to someone else."
U2 Singer Calls Trump's Political Climate 'Fascistic'
Bono called the current U.S. political moment 'a little… fascistic.'
Bono also argued that the current political environment was unlike the conservative administrations he had encountered in the past. When asked whether he considered the situation fundamentally different, he replied, "Yes, I do."
"It's a new world. This is different. There's a whiff, there's a honk, and we're all just trying to discern it," he said before referencing David Bowie's song Fashion.
He then described the current atmosphere as "a little ... fascistic" and added that it "needs a different response."
His bandmate Larry Mullen Jr. also discussed the impact of the administration's foreign-aid decisions.
"When money was taken away from AIDS, from people in Africa, I think to be honest you were in a state of complete shock and dismay at what you were seeing," Mullen said.
Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts Affected Bono's Humanitarian Work
Bono has worked with past presidents on AIDS and poverty.
Bono has spent decades campaigning against extreme poverty and preventable diseases through initiatives including the ONE Campaign and (RED). His work also involved lobbying American politicians to support HIV/AIDS treatment programs, particularly in Africa.
The Trump administration's January 2025 foreign aid freeze disrupted funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which was established under Republican President George W. Bush in 2003. Although the administration subsequently issued a limited waiver allowing certain life-saving services to continue, the funding disruptions affected HIV treatment and prevention programs.
Bono Previously Worked With Republican Leaders
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Bono suggested someone else should try working with the current administration.
Bono's reluctance to engage with Trump marks a change from his previous approach to American politics. He famously developed a relationship with Republican Senator Jesse Helms, despite their political differences, to secure support for AIDS funding.
He also worked with George W. Bush on international development and debt-relief initiatives.
However, Bono has become increasingly outspoken about Trump's policies. In an October 23 interview with The New York Times, he criticized Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency cuts, calling their potential humanitarian consequences "unconscionable." He also claimed the Republican Party had been "hijacked" by Trump's administration.
