Brian Wilson and Al Jardine disavow Beach Boys performance at Trump fundraiser

Brian Wilson and Al Jardine have publicly distanced themselves from a controversial performance by the current touring line-up of the Beach Boys, led by Mike Love, at a Donald Trump fundraiser in Newport Beach, California on Sunday.

"We have absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach," Wilson and Jardine told Variety through a spokesperson. "Zero. We didn't even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in the Los Angeles Times."

Tickets for the campaign event, which was attended by Trump, started at $2,800 per person – and peaked at $150,000 per couple for co-chair status.

Back in February, Wilson and Jardine also publicly disavowed the current touring edition of the Beach Boys – signing a Change.org petition in support of a boycott of the band, after Mike Love and co. booked a headline gig at the Safari Club International Convention in Reno, Nevada, where Donald Trump Jr. was the keynote speaker.

Wilson and Jardine last toured with Love and other original members of the Beach Boys as part of a 50th Anniversary tour in 2012. Although Wilson and Jardine have toured together in recent years, performing Beach Boys material, they have done so under Wilson's name – Love currently has the rights to use the band's name on tour.

Sunday's private fundraiser had been originally scheduled for October 6, but was cancelled after Trump tested positive for Covid-19. The Los Angeles Times notes that the US president's appearance at a fundraiser just over two weeks  before the election day highlights his campaign's financial struggles – with Biden having raised $125 million more than Trump in the quarter that closed on September 30.

The US presidential election is set to be held on Tuesday, November 3 – with a record number of people expected to vote before that date through postal votes.