July 13: Trump is shot during a campaign rally.
On Saturday, a gunman, later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, tried to assassinate Trump as he gave a speech at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Crooks wounded Trump’s ear before the Secret Service shielded him. Crooks killed a rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, and critically injured two others. The Secret Service fired back at Crooks, killing him.
The attack was met with criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.
Addressing on Saturday the nation after the shooting, President Joe Biden said “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence.”
July 14: Kyle Gass says, “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
On Sunday, Tenacious D’s bandmate Jack Black paused their Sydney show so the crowd could sing happy birthday to Gass, who turned 64.
A person in a robot costume presented Gass with a cake, and Black told his bandmate to make a wish.
Gass said, “Don’t miss Trump next time,” before blowing out the candles.
It is unclear from videos of the concert whether Black was in on the joke, but the actor moves on with the birthday celebration without responding to Gass.
Black is the more successful one of the pair, having spent decades cultivating his goofy image in films including “Kung Fu Panda” and “Rock School.” He may fear that being associated with this controversy could dampen his star power.
July 15: Australian politician calls for Tenacious D to be deported.
Later that day, Australian senator Ralph Babet of the right-wing populist United Australia Party shared a press release calling for Tenacious D to be deported. Their show on Sunday was the first of the Australia and New Zealand leg of their “Spicy Meatball” tour.
“To advocate and or wish for the assassination of a President is egregious, disgusting, filthy, evil, and not acceptable in any way, shape or form,” Babet said. “This was not a joke, he was deadly serious when he wished for the death of the President.”
Babet called on Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and immigration minister Andrew Giles to denounce the band and revoke their visas. Tenacious D has four more concerts scheduled in Australia.
“Anything less than a deportation is an endorsement of the shooting and the attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump, the 45th and soon-to-be 47th President of the United States,” Babbet added.
July 16: Tenacious D’s next concert is postponed hours before it was scheduled to begin.
Frontier Touring, Tenacious D’s promoters, announced on Tuesday that the band’s next Australian show was postponed.
“Ticket holders are asked to hold onto their tickets until further information is available,” Frontier Touring wrote on Facebook.
News.com.au reported that Frontier Touring made the announcement at 3:30 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time. The show was supposed to begin at 7 p.m. AEST.
There was no indication that the postponement was linked to the Trump controversy.
A representative for Frontier Touring, Trump, and Tenacious D did not immediately respond to a comment request from Business Insider.
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