THE BEAST

Corey Taylor   has decried the rise of white nationalist groups in America, calling it "a reaction" to the fact that we had a "very successful black president" for eight years.

The so-called alt-right movement is on the march and emboldened by   Pesident Donald Trump 's rhetoric and policies, which many people believe are fueling white supremacist violence directed at Muslims, immigrants, and people of color and legitimizing supremacist ideology.

During an interview with   Rocked   conducted at this past weekend's   Aftershock   festival in Sacramento, California, the   SLIPKNOT   and   STONE SOUR   frontman was asked specifically about last week's incident where   Richard Spencer   — alt-right white nationalist and advocate of "peaceful ethnic cleaning" — tried to give a speech at a Florida university, but was shouted down.

Talking about the resurgent neo-Nazi movement,   Corey   said (see video below): "It's a reaction, sadly… It's a reaction to the fact that — and I'm gonna be blatantly honest — that we had a black president. That's exactly what it is. And not only did we have a black president, we had a very, very successful black president — much to the chagrin of people on the far, far right. I won't use that term that they use; they are far, far, far,   far   right — they are white supremacists, and that's all they are. They are trying to rewrite the history on [ President Barack ]   Obama   and they just can't do it. I'm not saying he's perfect; he made mistakes. Name a president who didn't. You know,   Washington   made mistakes. Get over yourselves. That's why he's on the one-dollar bill and not the five. Nah… I can't back that up. That's not a fact. [ Laughs ]

"Every president makes mistakes," he continued. "Expecting perfection is ridiculous. But you should expect morality, and certainly this current president doesn't have that. When you brag about grabbing women by their genitalia, and yet his base cheered him on, there are issues going on in this country."

Apparently agreeing with critics that say the current presidency has normalized white supremacy and emboldened bigots,   Taylor   added: "I wanna say that it's bigger than race. Race plays a huge part of it, but it's bigger than race. This is almost a reaction to the fact that we were all trying to kind of get on the same page. But at the same time, the people on the left have a tendency to try and force newer ideas on people who just can't wrap their head around it, and it's not their fault. You have to give 'em time to find a way to relate to it. So people like   Richard Spencer   and [former   Breitbart   provocateur]   Milo   [ Yiannopoulos ] are exploiting that, turning up the heat and making sure that people who support the current president don't believe anything that they read, don't believe anything they see or hear, and it is tearing us apart."

Taylor , who is promoting his new book,   "America 51" , recently called   Donald Trump   an "ineffectual" president who hasn't fulfilled one campaign promise. "Everyone was worried about the crazy things he'd do, but there's nothing that he's done that can't be changed in another administration, like the Paris agreement," the singer said. "There's no need to panic… He hasn't done shit. He really hasn't. Even with his party in control of both houses, nothing has happened."

"America 51"   was released on August 8 via   Da Capo Press . The book, which is subtitled   "A Probe Into The Realities That Are Hiding Inside 'The Greatest Country In The World'" , was described by its publisher as a reflection of how touring with bands has taught   Corey   "what it means to be an American in an increasingly unstable world."

Corey   is continuing to tour with   STONE SOUR   in support of the band's latest album,   "Hydrograd" , which came out at the end of June. Via Blabbermouth