Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain has explained why he turned down an invitation to play golf with U.S. president Donald Trump.
“I was actually invited to go and play golf with him. A friend of mine who’s a massive Republican said, ‘Oh, do you want to come and play golf with us? With the president?’ And I said, ‘You f*cking what?’… and I just said, no. No mate.”
“I’m not politically inclined, although I must be because I have my thoughts about him. I’m not amused by the narcissism, and all this kerfuffle about the Epstein files and whatnot, and especially the debauched war that he’s put on Iran.”
“My last word on Trump and his bunch of cronies is, they should be put in jail.”
The comments arrive at a reflective moment in McBrain’s career, as he looks back on more than four decades behind the kit and promotes a new book about his life in and out of heavy metal.
McBrain joined Iron Maiden in 1982 after stints with bands including Trust and Pat Travers’ group, and he went on to play on many of the band’s best-known albums and tours. He stepped away from touring in December 2024 following the Future Past World Tour, though he remains a member of Iron Maiden for studio projects. His memoir, Hello Boys and Girls!, was released on October 22 and traces his path from the London club scene to the engine room of one of metal’s biggest acts.
The drummer’s later years on the road were shaped by serious health problems. McBrain suffered a stroke in 2023 that left him temporarily paralyzed on his right side, and that he was able to drum again only after intense therapy, which forced him to modify his playing style.
McBrain has long been based in the United States, and his home in Florida places him within driving distance of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. McBrain has become the latest in a long line of musicians to express dismay at Trump’s presidency, a list that spans several generations of rock and metal artists.
