John Legend renews spat with ‘sad, petty and narcissistic’ Donald Trump

John Legend today reignited his row with Donald Trump, branding the US president “petty and narcissistic”.

The singer-songwriter, who has a son and a daughter with his wife Chrissy Teigen, said he feared the impact Mr Trump’s time in office could have on his children’s future.

The 40-year-old star told Insider: “It is sad when you have a president that is so sad and petty and narcissistic and immature. Someone that has so much power, but is so petty at the same time. It is a shame.”

He added: “What kind of world are we going to leave them [his children]? We see what is happening with the climate crisis now and we have leaders that are going backwards rather than forwards on the issue. It is really scary.”

Legend, whose real name is John Roger Stephens, was speaking about a recent online spat between the couple and Mr Trump.

Last month, the president launched a late night Twitter tirade after Legend appeared in an NBC Nightly News show about “the broken criminal justice system” in America.

Mr Trump claimed the musician did not credit him for passing legislation aimed at curbing mass incarceration.

The president wrote: “Guys like boring musician @johnlegend and his filthy mouthed wife, are talking now about how great it is but I didn’t see them around when we needed help getting it passed.” Teigen replied that Trump was a “p**** a** b****”.

Speaking about the documentary, Legend added: “We weren’t there to talk good or bad about the president. But he wanted to hear his name and he didn’t hear it so he was upset. It is sad.”

Legend, who is performing at The 02 in London tonight, campaigns for several organisations and runs a non-profit, FreeAmerica, dedicated to criminal justice reform. He added: “I have used my music career to use my influence to try and make the world a bit better. But if music didn’t work out, possibly I would be doing politics.”

He said he would encourage his children, Luna and Miles, to follow in his musical footsteps if they wanted to.