Singer Linda Ronstadt saddened by Trump rally at Tucson venue bearing her name

PHOENIX – Legendary singer Linda Ronstadt isn’t happy that former President Donald Trump is holding a rally Thursday at the Tucson venue bearing her name.

Trump is set to appear at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, with doors opening at 11 a.m. and the Republican presidential nominee expected to speak at 2 p.m.

The 2,195-seat theater was known as the Tucson Music Hall until it was renamed for the Tucson native and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer in 2022.

Ronstadt, whose hits include “You’re No Good” and “Blue Bayou,” issued a statement Wednesday expressing her displeasure with Trump’s appearance.

“Donald Trump is holding a rally on Thursday in a rented hall in my hometown, Tucson. I would prefer to ignore that sad fact. But since the building has my name on it, I need to say something,” the 11-time Grammy Award winner said.

“It saddens me to see the former president bring his hate show to Tucson, a town with deep Mexican-American roots and a joyful, tolerant spirit.”

Ronstadt is of Mexican descent and has recorded albums of Spanish-language songs, including the 1987 classic “Canciones de Mi Padre.”

At 78, she can’t perform anymore because of a neurological disorder.

Linda Ronstadt criticizes Donald Trump’s border policies

In her statement, Ronstadt specifically criticized how Trump’s immigration policies impacted border communities.

“For me it comes down to this: In Nogales and across the southern border, the Trump administration systematically ripped apart migrant families seeking asylum. Family separation made orphans of thousands of little children and babies, and brutalized their desperate mothers and fathers,” she said.

The singer also alluded to the fact that a jury found Trump liable of sexually assaulting advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment last year.

“Trump first ran for president warning about rapists coming in from Mexico. I’m worried about keeping the rapist out of the White House,” she said.

And like Taylor Swift did in her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president, Ronstadt brought up comments by Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, about “childless cat ladies” in the Democratic Party.

“I raised two adopted children in Tucson as a single mom,” Ronstadt said. “They are both grown and living in their own houses. I live with a cat. Am I half a childless cat lady because I’m unmarried and didn’t give birth to my kids? Call me what you want, but this cat lady will be voting proudly in November for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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