Punk rock icon Henry Rollins was interviewed on the August 25 episode of the New Zealand TV show "Waatea 5th Estate". You can now watch video footage of his appearance below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On what America would look like under President Donald Trump: Rollins: "I think you would have a country that would have an increasingly difficult time trying to get along with the European Union, such as it is, getting along with China, because we would become confrontational. [That's] not the way to deal with China, in my opinion. They play a longer game, their economy is run differently. They use sometimes confusion logic; there's some great writing about it. If Trump says, 'My way or the highway,' the Chinese will go, 'Okay, we're gonna collect on all that debt. And so we'll take that hotel and that whole skyline, that's ours today.' I don't wanna get into any tough-guy chest puffing with any country; there's too many kids to get hurt and my country's economy can't sustain it. So if he wants to run a country like a failed businessman or like a corny reality show, I'm not in. And so under a Trump presidency, I think you'd have brown people, black people, Muslim people, gay people having potentially a dangerous or a very awful time in America." On what President Obama's legacy will be after eight years: Rollins: "Just my opinion… that's all I've got. I think history is going to judge him very kindly in the years going forward. He gave us a not-great health care system, 'cause it was mutated and beat up on by members of Congress, but he tried. And he did what no other president could do — he got something over the wall. I think he elevated the world's evaluation of America in that… I do travel all the time. And [people ask me], 'My friend, where are you from?' I'm in some taxi. 'I'm from America.' [And they scream], 'Obama!' People dig this guy. And I've been to villages all over, [and] there's kids with Obama shirts on. He's great in the world. I think he will be judged very kindly by history." On what America would look like under President Hillary Clinton: Rollins: "She, to me, is a political operative. She likes power. I think she's a decent human being. I think you would probably see more things for sustainable energy maybe getting some traction. Fighting, of course, the coal industry, old-school petroleum. The solar panel and wind might stand a chance. Pay disparity between men and women might stand a chance. We might be able to get women's reproductive health care and privacy to do with their body what they want — maybe get that back on track. With Roe v. Wade [landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion], we can remember that's what we all agreed on; well, it's in law."
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