Rufus Wainwright took aim at President Donald Trump in his new music video for “Sword of Damocles,” a reference to the ancient Greek parable, which also stars actor Darren Criss.
The video begins with a note from Wainwright to Trump saying that the story of Damocles reminds him of the president.
“At a lavish banquet, King Dionysius is confronted by his servant Damocles – a brat who is jealous of the king’s splendor and power. Through supernatural forces, the two roles are switched. The smug, inexperienced commoner becomes the king. But his joy is short-lived. He quickly realizes that being king isn’t all crowns and cheeseburgers. With great power comes great responsibility,” the video reads.
Wainwright is seen with all of the regal and royalty that comes with being a king including a crown, jewelry and getting his makeup done. Criss looks on enviously until he finally becomes king. However, he dons a paper crown, messy makeup and is surrounded by cheeseburgers filled with maggots.
“Sword of Damocles’ is my artistic response to what I see currently transpiring within the American government and how its collapse is affecting every aspect of existence for us all. With the Midterm Elections around the corner, it’s important for everyone to take a stand and contribute in some way – whether it’s bringing awareness to issues in your community, protesting/demonstrating, watching the news to formulate your own opinions, creating, yelling – it’s all hands on deck,” Wainwright explains in the description.
At the end, Wainwright encourages people to simply “vote.”
Watch below.
