In a new interview, Tim McIlrath of Rise Against took some time to talk about the upcoming election and how extreme he feels the Republican Party has become over the past few years:

For the first time in my lifetime, the Republican establishment has lost control of its constituency. At one point, outlets like Fox News did whatever the Republican sector told them to do. It seems that time is over and that the roles are reversed: The Republican establishment is beholden to Fox News. Fox News is the one actually steering the ship nowadays, and the Republicans have to placate that and acquiesce to this viewership they've built up over the last decade.

Watching this [nomination process] unfold [is] showing the really ugly sides of right-wing conservatism [which is] is now synonymous with bigotry. You're seeing people in politics working to create an environment that trickles down into the hallways of high schools, an environment where there are students who feel they don't belong in those hallways, or on this planet.

In mid-April, the band will be headlining a US tour with support from A Day to Remember and Title Fight.