Singer Pat Boone calls on his ‘very tired’ friend Donald Trump to ‘be quiet’ – and stop being rude to women

Legendary singer-songwriter Pat Boone publicly urged his “friend,” President Donald Trump, to tone down his rhetoric Friday, telling him in a social media video to “try for just a little while to be quiet.”

The 92-year-old former teen idol turned conservative crooner addressed Trump, 80, directly in a video posted to Instagram and Facebook.

“Hello Mr. President, Pat Boone here,” Boone said. “Been a while since I spoke to you or about you, but really I feel like I am your friend.”

Boone referenced his past support for Trump, saying, “I voted for you back when you were running for president, and you were calling people names in the debates.”

Boone met Trump at a fundraiser at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate while Trump was hosting “The Apprentice,” the Daily Best reports. The two have remained friends with Boone speaking publicly about their conversations over the years, including a 2016 phone call during Trump’s presidential campaign when Boone urged him to stop “calling names” and act more presidential, according to the Jerusalem Post.

“You did not take my advice much at the time, but you have done a lot of things in the meanwhile, however, right now I feel like you are very tired,” he continued. “And I'm worried that many of us haven't prayed enough for you because I feel like you are wearing out and you are feeling the pressure and expressing yourself in ways that are not becoming to you. They are not presidential.”

Boone then suggested that Trump stop publicly discussing his accomplishments and avoid attacking others.

“So, may I recommend something to you?” he said. “That you be quiet. That you quit talking about the things that want people to be proud of. Let them discover those things for themselves, and also please be polite to women and quit calling names.”

Trump has repeatedly insulted female reporters who ask him challenging questions about his administration’s policies, including telling one “quiet, piggy.”

Boone also suggested that the press refrain from covering Trump for several days.

“Don't even come to a press conference,” he said. “Of course, you are not wanting many of them to be there anyway. So, let it be empty. Let there be nobody to ask you any questions. Nobody to hear what you want to say or possibly brag about. And then as you hear nothing, the deafening roar of silence, it may convince you that being like Ronald Reagan and using a sense of humor as well as being very polite and respectful will get you more hearers, better reporting, more support while there is still time.”

Boone ended his message by again emphasizing that he was speaking to Trump as a friend.

“I say this as a friend, try for just a little while to be quiet.”

The message came as Trump has continued his public clashes with news organizations and other critics. On Friday, Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House, accusing the outlets of reporting “FAKE NEWS.” Sure enough, on Saturday morning, journalists from all three organizations were blocked from entry.

Boone's comments also came during a week of heightened attention surrounding Trump's relationship with the media and the Kennedy Center, where Trump has been involved in a dispute over the future of the performing arts institution.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.