Pat Boone, the 92-year-old singer, actor, and longtime conservative supporter of President Donald Trump, has posted a direct message to the president on Friday. In a video shared on Instagram on September 18, Boone said he was speaking to Trump “in the spirit of friendship and concern.”
“I feel like I am your friend,” Boone said in the nearly three-minute video.
The singer stated that the president looked worn out and was expressing himself in ways that were “not presidential,” while reiterating that he had supported Trump for years and had voted for him.
Two-word advice: “Be quiet”
To advise Trump, Boone said, “May I recommend something very highly? That you be quiet."
Boone said he had raised similar concerns during Trump’s first presidential campaign in 2016. At the time, he advised Trump to stop calling political opponents names and instead adopt a more restrained tone.
“I cautioned you that you should not be doing something that makes you sound like a schoolboy on the playground,” Boone said in the latest video. “If you want to be president, you should sound like a president and be presidential.”
{{/usCountry}}“I cautioned you that you should not be doing something that makes you sound like a schoolboy on the playground,” Boone said in the latest video. “If you want to be president, you should sound like a president and be presidential.”
{{/usCountry}}The singer further acknowledged that Trump did not fully follow that advice but credited him with accomplishing “a lot of things” since then.
Boone then argued that the president should stop promoting his own achievements and instead allow the public to judge them independently. “Quit talking about the things that you want people to be proud of. Let them discover those things for themselves,” he said.
The singer also urged Trump to “be polite to women” and “quit calling names.”
Boone even suggested that Trump avoid speaking to the press for several days. “I would like to suggest that for the press to try something, to not say anything at all about you for a couple of days. Don't even come to a press conference,” he said.
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A longtime conservative with Reagan ties
Boone’s remarks have attracted attention because of his longstanding support for Republican candidates and conservative causes.
The singer, who scored more than 30 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 1950s, later became known for his gospel music, earning six Grammy nominations over several decades.
He also enjoyed a close friendship with former President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan. Speaking to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute, Boone recalled that their families knew each other long before Reagan entered the White House.
Boone referenced Reagan repeatedly in his latest message, urging Trump to adopt the former president’s communication style.
Boone said, “The deafening roar of silence may convince you that being like Ronald Reagan and using a sense of humour as well as being very polite and respectful will get you more hearers, better reporting, more support while there is still time.”