See Anthrax’s Scott Ian Recall Awkward First Meeting With Donald Trump
Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has met any number of celebrities in his life, from the cast of Married … With Children to Public Enemy to the zombies of The Walking Dead. But one that sticks out like a sore, orange thumb – after 30-plus years of slinging rhythm guitars for the thrash-metal firebrands – is President Donald J. Trump.
The guitarist crossed paths with the commander in chief in the late 2000s, when Trump was still best known as the host of The Apprentice. Ian’s friend Annie Duke, a professional poker player, was a contender on the first run of Celebrity Apprentice who made it to the season finale but ultimately lost to Joan Rivers.
One of the tasks on Celebrity Apprentice was for Duke to sell jewelry at high prices to raise money for charity, and that’s when Ian came in. The interaction led to the guitarist getting invited to a black-tie gala – where he came dressed in a T-shirt and a black leather jacket. In the video above, he recalls how Trump was mean-mugging him for a good portion of the event but eventually warmed to him to the point that Ian and the future president posed for a photo together. Ian has since joked that Trump would appoint him “Secretary of Heavy Metal.”
But despite not earning a place in the cabinet, life goes on for Ian. He and his Anthrax bandmates are currently on the road supporting their recently released album, last year’s For All Kings. They’ve also recently reissued the LP as a seven-inch box set, including covers of the White Stripes’ “Black Math” and Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son,” as well as demos of For All Kings tunes. Lastly, they also recently lent their name to a new beer – Anthrax Wardance Pale Ale – which is made by Butternuts Beer & Ale Brewery.