Julian Casablancas is copping backlash after a comment about “American Zionists” began circulating online, with a 1991 photo now being pulled into the reaction.
The Strokes drew attention during their Coachella set after a political video montage played on screen, including imagery referencing Gaza and US foreign policy, before the band left the stage. In a recent SubwayTakes interview, Casablancas is now copping backlash for comments about “American Zionists” that have since circulated widely online.
As that reaction has taken shape, Blunt Magazine has seen a 1991 image (pictured above) begin circulating widely online.
The photo is now being used to frame the backlash.
The photo comes from the Maybelline Presents Look of the Year event in New York. It shows a young Casablancas in the background behind Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump. A visible “VIP Guest” badge appears to carry a handwritten name matching his.
That image is now doing the rounds, with some using it to call him a hypocrite.
The context is pretty different to how it’s being framed.
The event itself was part of the early ’90s New York fashion world tied to Elite Model Management, the agency founded by his father. Getty images from the night show just how mixed that scene was, with Naomi Campbell, Axl Rose and Stephanie Seymour all photographed there too.
At the time, Casablancas would have been a kid moving through that environment rather than shaping it. Being at an event like this reflects the world he grew up in, not a political position. He has just turned 13 at the time.
What’s more telling is how quickly the story has shifted. A direct comment sparks backlash, and within hours a childhood image gets reframed as evidence of contradiction.
The way the image is being used also shows how quickly the definition of “hypocrisy” expands once an artist steps into political territory. In cases like this, even moments with no clear connection to the present can be pulled in and reframed to challenge credibility.
Whether that actually holds up is another question.
Follow developments on Blunt Magazine’s The Strokes Coachella Political Statement Story
Gallery: Maybelline Presents 1991 Look of the Year 03/09/1991
Watch: Julian Casablancas Defends His 4 Most Controversial Takes
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