Celebrity1 min(s) read
Published 13:29 21 Aug 2020 GMT
Billie Eilish, 18-year-old pop sensation and creator of the most recent Bond theme, has blasted Donald Trump for "destroying" the United States while urging her young fans to "vote like our lives and the world depend on it".
At 18 years old, Eilish is the youngest musician to appear at the Democratic National Convention, per Variety. And she delivered a rousing speech that touched on Trump's presidency, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic.
“You don’t need me to tell you things are a mess — Donald Trump is destroying our country and everything we care about,” Eilish said.
You can watch Eilish's speech in full right here:
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“We need leaders who will solve problems like climate change and covid — not deny them. Leaders who will fight against systemic racism and inequality.
“And that starts by voting for someone who understands how much is at stake; someone who is building a team that shares our values.
“It starts with voting against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden.
“Silence is not an option and we cannot sit this one out. We all have to vote like our lives and the world depend on it — because they do. The only way to be certain of our future is to make it ourselves. Please register; please vote.”
Eilish then delivered the first public performance of her new song, aptly named My Future.
Taking to Twitter, Joe Biden said of Eilish's speech, "I’ll just say what @billieeilish said: vote like your life depends on it. #DemConvention"
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In a previous statement announcing her performance at the convention, Eilish wrote on her website, "this election is the most important election of our lifetimes so far. it’s never been more important to vote.
there are lots of groups doing great work to get people registered. pick one below that speaks to you, then register to vote and follow them everywhere. stay engaged, and let’s all get to the polls."
Earlier this week, former president Barack Obama spoke at the DNC. In a speech that excoriated the current president, Obama said that Trump showed, "no interest in putting in the work" and "no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves."
He added:
"The one Constitutional office elected by all of the people is the presidency.
"So at minimum, we should expect a president to feel a sense of responsibility for the safety and welfare of all 330 million of us - regardless of what we look like, how we worship, who we love, how much money we have - or who we voted for."
He then added: "I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously [...] But he never did."
