British rocker Phil Collins blasted President Trump's manner as "nasty" and "unattractive," then teased an unwritten song about America titled "Fat People with Guns", a broad swipe PR veterans say can backfire with paying fans.
The 75-year-old musician unloaded during a Friday appearance on "Piers Morgan Uncensored," days after renewed attention around his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame solo inclusion. Asked what he thought of Trump, Collins did not hold back.
Fox News reported the exchange in full, including Collins' claim that modern presidents no longer earn basic respect the way earlier ones did.
"His whole manner is unattractive," Collins said.
"Even when he's saying he did nothing. You know, I think that presidents, because historically, presidents have been eloquent and elegant... but you feel like even if you don't agree with them, you still respect them. But when someone like Trump is as nasty as he is, you end up feeling dislike for him."
That is a long way from policy. It is a style complaint dressed up as a civic lecture, and it came from a star who also described himself as "not a political person."
Collins went further than personal dislike. He revealed a song idea he has not written yet, but already named.
"I've got a song that's waiting to be written called ‘Fat People with Guns,’ which is about America, you know, and I just write that phrase down so I don't forget it," he said.
The target is not a bill, a border rule, or a Cabinet pick. The title frames ordinary Americans, their weight, their guns, their country, as the punchline. That is a different kind of shot than criticizing one elected official.
Collins also floated a familiar fear on the left: that Trump might try to stay past two terms. "I'm sure he's even tried, but it wouldn't surprise me if he just tries to overrule the two-term deal, you know, and American presidents can only serve two terms," he said.
The Constitution already answers that. The 22nd Amendment says no person can be elected president more than twice. Trump himself addressed third-term talk in August and did not pretend the limit was optional.
"I'd love to run, but the law is very strong,"
Trump told reporters then. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House about Collins' remarks and did not immediately receive a response.
In June, well before Collins sat down with Morgan, PR professionals told Fox News Digital what happens when stars stop criticizing politicians and start smearing the country that buys the tickets.
Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, put the risk in plain terms.
"Outside of big city bubbles, most Americans really only care about elections during an election year; other than that, they have much bigger cares, concerns and priorities,"
Eldridge said. Then he drew the line artists keep crossing.
"That changes, however, when the rhetoric shifts from party-specific, political criticism, to more broad statements about America, in general."
His advice was blunt: "Artists with any regard for commercial appeal should ‘measure twice, cut once’ when disparaging American culture, character and capability. The statement is free, but the response will prove costly."
Sarah Schmidt, president of the PR firm Interdependence, described the same trap from the audience's side of the stage.
"If an artist mocks a USA chant from stage, they can face swift and intense backlash because it’s not them commenting on a politician or policy,"
Schmidt said. "It’s them criticizing the beliefs of the people who ultimately pay their bills."
Collins' song title lands in that second category. "Fat People with Guns" is not a critique of a statute. It is a cartoon of the public.
Collins wants presidents who sound "eloquent and elegant." Fair enough as a preference. Voters, though, keep choosing results over theater. They also notice when a wealthy British rock icon reduces their country to a slur-ready chorus and then shrugs that he is "not a political person."
Trump's August line closed the door Collins tried to pry open. The law is strong. The two-term limit is not a rumor. And Americans who own guns, watch their weight like everyone else, and still love their country do not owe a Hall of Fame solo act applause for the insult.
Celebrities can say what they want. Fans can keep their wallets closed when the act turns into a sneer at the nation that made them rich.
