John Legend, Chrissy Teigen lash out at Trump at Dem retreat

LEESBURG, Va. — Social media commenters. Country music regulators. Ivanka Trump.

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen found plenty of targets Wednesday night as they headlined the Democrats’ issues conference in the suburbs of Washington.

But it was President Trump who was the most frequent mark of the liberal celebrity couple, who used the stage to bash Trump as an embarrassment in chief.

{mosads}Teigen “knew well before a lot of America did that [Trump] was a joke and a con man and a clown,” Legend said of his wife, sitting beside him on stage. “And she was prescient long before he ever thought about running for president. She was on point with that.”

The moderator, political commentator Melissa Harris-Perry, pointed out that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has learned how to say “no” to Trump.

Asked to name one word that women should use more frequently, Teigen replied: “F— you.”

The couple was speaking to the choir.

Democrats have gathered in the Lansdowne Resort, a posh hotel and golf club in Northern Virginia, for their annual gathering designed to rally the troops and unify around a legislative agenda heading into the new year. This year’s event has roughly coincided with the first 100 days of the new Congress, and Democrats are using the platform to highlight their legislative priorities, which stand in stark contrast to those being championed by the president.

Legend and Teigen, both longtime boosters of Democratic politics, were there as the power couple lending a megastar boost to the party’s message. The pair was especially harsh in condemning Trump’s controversial policies on the southern border, particularly his previous policy of separating migrant children from their parents — a policy since discontinued.

“When it comes from people, like Ivanka, I will say, that can post all day pictures of her children that are just in her home and ‘oh my daughter is having trouble in her crib’ or ‘my daughter is doing this’ and ‘my daughter is doing this,’ there are children out there that don’t have that opportunity,” Teigen said. “There are children that are completely … honestly, I cannot fathom for a second how scared our children would be if they were without us.”

“We need the comedy to cover up the pain,” That’s our ‘ha ha’ as we’re crying inside,” Teigen added. “It’s laughing through the pain.”

Legend piled on, defending those arriving at the southern border, many of whom are seeking asylum.

“They’re coming to give to America,” Legend said. “They’re coming to contribute to America.”

Immigration should be “big, bold generous and open,” Legend added.

Asked what his playlist would be for House Democrats, Legend replied: “Glory,” “Fight the Power” and “Preach.”

The Grammy Award-winning singer then sang a few bars from “Preach,” and he and his wife were mobbed by Democratic lawmakers eager to take selfies with the celebrities.

Earlier in the day, on the steps of the Capitol, GOP leaders mocked Democrats for inviting Legend and Teigen to headline their retreat.

Democrats have invited “celebrities, not to perform but to tell them what their values are,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), flanked by dozens of GOP lawmakers, told reporters.

Introducing Legend and Teigen, Pelosi pulled a page from the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley to argue the importance of the artist’s role in advocating political change: “The greatest force for moral good is imagination,” Pelosi said.

Legend and Teigen followed a rousing speech by Deval Patrick, the former governor of Massachusetts, who urged Democrats to fight for their beliefs — and to stick together doing it.

“What America needs now is for Democrats to be Democrats,” he said. “Without labels, without drama and without apology.”