Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain Turned Down Golf With Trump: 'Put in Jail'

Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain rejected an invitation to play golf with Donald Trump and said the president and his "bunch of cronies" "should be put in jail."

McBrain made the remarks in an interview with the Telegraph. The longtime drummer of the British heavy metal band lives in Florida, like Trump. A friend of his, whom McBrain described as "a massive Republican," extended the invitation.

"He asked, 'Oh, do you want to come and play golf with us? With the president,'" McBrain recounted. "And I said, 'You fucking what?'… and I just said, 'No.' No mate."

Why did McBrain refuse?

McBrain framed his refusal around specific objections to the Trump administration. "I'm not politically inclined, although I must be because I have my thoughts about him," he told the Telegraph. "I'm not amused by the narcissism, and all this kerfuffle about the Epstein files and whatnot, and especially the debauched war that he's put on Iran."

He also predicted that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is "going to be put in prison." His conclusion was blunt: "My last word on Trump and his bunch of cronies is, they should be put in jail."

The takeaway is plain: one of metal's most recognizable drummers has drawn a hard line against the sitting president, in explicit language, on the record.

What else is happening for McBrain and Maiden?

McBrain's autobiography, "Hello Boys and Girls!", reaches shelves Thursday. Publisher HarperCollins describes it as a "thrilling, hilarious and deeply personal autobiography." The publisher's copy promises that "with trademark humor and heart, Nicko takes readers behind the scenes of one of Britain's biggest ever bands… This is the story of what it feels like to remain not just relevant but more loved than ever after decades at the top, and to live a life transformed by music, brotherhood and belief."

The book lands amid a busy stretch for the band. Iron Maiden announced earlier this month the third and final leg of their 50th-anniversary "Run for Your Lives" tour. That leg begins in April and concludes in May, closing with two festival headlining sets at Sonic Temple and Boardwalk Rock.

In April, Iron Maiden earned induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2026. The official ceremony takes place Nov. 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles — a date that now sits alongside a memoir launch and a farewell tour leg in the band's 50th year.

The combined calendar makes the coming months a test of whether McBrain's political candor affects the celebratory arc around the band's half-century milestone.