Legendary singer Pat Boone urged President Donald Trump to 'be quiet' in a Facebook video shared on Friday night, saying the president was expressing himself in ways that were 'not presidential'. Boone said he had voted for Trump and felt like his friend.
For context, Boone said he had cautioned Trump while he was running for president and calling people names during debates. He told Trump then that the behaviour made him sound 'like a schoolboy on the playground' and that a president should sound presidential. Boone said Trump had not taken much of that advice.
Pat Boone Returns to His Earlier Warning
'Hello Mr. President, Pat Boone here,' the singer began. 'Been a while since I spoke to you or about you, but really I feel like I am your friend.'
Boone acknowledged that Trump had 'done a lot of things in the meanwhile', but said he now seemed 'very tired'. He worried that many people had not prayed enough for the president.
'I feel like you are wearing out and you are feeling the pressure and expressing yourself in ways that are not becoming to you,' Boone said. 'They are not presidential.'
Boone did not identify a particular recent remark. His criticism concerned how Trump was expressing himself, and his proposed remedy was direct for someone addressing the president as a friend.
Pat Boone Asks Trump and the Press to Fall Silent
'So, may I recommend something to you?' Boone asked. 'That you be quiet.' He said Trump should quit talking about 'the things that want people to be proud of' and let people discover those things for themselves.
Boone also asked him to 'please be polite to women and quit calling names'. The 92-year-old singer wanted Trump to try being quiet 'for just a little while'.
He then turned to reporters, suggesting the press say nothing about Trump 'for a couple of days' and stay away from a press conference. In the empty room Boone described, there would be nobody to question the president or hear him 'possibly brag about'.
Boone said the resulting 'deafening roar of silence' might persuade Trump to use humour and show more politeness and respect, invoking Ronald Reagan as his example. He argued that this could bring 'more hearers, better reporting, more support while there is still time'.
'I say this as a friend, try for just a little while to be quiet,' he said.
Pat Boone's Followers Split Over His Message
Some followers agreed with Boone's approach. Howard Wells wrote that he liked both Trump and Boone and believed the singer was saying what supporters were thinking. Wells also said Reagan's use of humour was more effective than a combative, defensive approach.
Barb Wood wanted Trump to do more than speak less. She called for 'a more compassionate heart' and urged him to listen to 'we the people'.
Donna K. Lawson Ping rejected Boone's criticism. 'Walk in President Trump's shoes before criticizing,' she wrote, saying Trump's words did not bother her and that he said what many supporters wanted to say.
Ping said she had voted for Trump three times and told Boone to 'stay in his lane'. She also wrote that Trump was carrying 'the weight of the world on his shoulders'.
