Trump Disappoints Old Friend
Rod Stewart at Xcel Center, 2014. Photo by Joe Bielawa under CC BY 2.0.
Once a staple at Trump's opulent holiday parties, Rod Stewart isn't just skipping Mar-a-Lago this year — he's torching the friendship that once glittered with Champagne and Christmas lights.
The reason?
It's not about politics. It's about war, morality — and a betrayal Stewart says he can't unsee.
From Christmas Cocktails to Crashing Values
For decades, Stewart and Trump's relationship was the kind that made Palm Beach buzz. They were neighbors with matching million-dollar zip codes, sharing beachfront proximity and holiday traditions.
"I used to go to his house," Stewart told Radio Times, according to The Hill. "I used to go to his Christmas parties. He's always been a bit of a man's man. I liked him for that." Stewart added, "But he didn't, as far as I'm concerned, treat women very well."
But the glamor began to dim the moment Trump stepped into the Oval Office.
"Since he became president, he became another guy," Stewart said, according to the Independent. "Somebody I didn't know."
The Breaking Point
What finally snapped their decades-long bond wasn't a personal slight or petty feud. It was Gaza.
Stewart, a father of eight and longtime philanthropist, was clear-eyed and furious when discussing Israel's war in Gaza and Trump's continued support for Netanyahu. "As long as he's selling arms to the Israelis — and he still is. How's that war ever gonna stop?" Stewart said, according to BuzzFeed.
And then came the gut-punch line from Stewart: "What Netanyahu is doing to the Palestinians is exactly what happened to the Jews. It's annihilation," The Hill reported. Stewart added, "And that's all he wants to do — get rid of them all."
He didn't stop there. "I don't know how they sleep at night," he said, calling for global leaders to stop the bloodshed and abandon weapons sales.
No Longer Playing the Game
This isn't a one-off opinion. Stewart has long danced between entertainment and ethics. Back in 2017, he personally paid for children with disabilities to travel to Washington, D.C., and protest proposed Medicaid cuts under Trump's administration. "I'm neither a Democrat nor a Republican, but I am a father," BuzzFeed reported he said at the time.
And now, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, there over 55,000 Palestinians reported dead since October 2023, and Stewart is still not mincing words or accepting any excuses.
The war in Gaza shifted his stance from private frustration to public condemnation. For Stewart, Trump's continued arms deals and support for Israeli military action crossed a moral line. The violence, the politics, the power — it was too much. What once was a friendship rooted in celebrity circles and shared holidays is now a firm, personal boundary.
A Legend Still Speaking Loud
And just in case anyone thought Stewart's fire was fading, the British icon made his Glastonbury return. In June 2025, he performed in the festival's iconic Legend's Slot.
"It'll be glamorous, it'll be sexy and we've got a little orchestra coming on to play with us... and we may have some bagpipes," he had teased ahead of the show, according to the Independent.
But don't let the showmanship fool you — the man who once sang "Forever Young" is aging with purpose and principles.
No Apologies, No Backtracking
Rod Stewart spoke out — and followed through. With decades of fame behind him, he chose principle over proximity, cutting ties with one of the world's most powerful figures without flinching.
In a world where celebrities often demand silence, Stewart's conscience played louder than the spotlight ever could.
References: Rod Stewart: Trump has become 'somebody I didn't know' | Rod Stewart says he no longer considers Donald Trump a friend since he became president | Rod Stewart Reveals The 1 Massive Reason His Friendship With Donald Trump Is Done: 'I Can't Anymore'
