Fareed Zakaria came in for mockery on Friday after saying he sought advice from Bono to help understand the phenomenon of European populism.

“The only way to counter the dark, pessimistic vision being peddled by nationalists and extremists, Bono says, is to have an uplifting, positive vision,” Zakaria wrote in the Washington Post on Friday. “To that end, Bono’s band, U2, has been choosing a moment during its concerts to unfurl — wait for it — the flag of the European Union.”

Zakaria, a frequent contributor to the Post opinion page and host of the CNN weekend program “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” seemed to be understanding of Bono’s view that the European Union needed rebranding to get away from its image of a lumbering, bureaucratic institution, which it has become.

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Critics, however, pounced almost immediately, seizing on the story as tone deaf and suggesting that Zakaria’s instinct to seek wisdom about European populism from a celebrity musician was part of the reason those forces had risen so rapidly in recent years.

“When I want to find out about working class discontent, I talk to multi-millionaire celebrity singers. I’m Fareed Zakaria, I work for the Washington Post,” mocked left-wing comedian Jimmy Dore on Twitter.

When I want to find out about working class discontent, I talk to multi-millionaire celebrity singers.

I'm Fareed Zakaria, I work for the Washington Post. pic.twitter.com/Mqmbe5HUyj — Jimmy Dore (@jimmy_dore) September 21, 2018

The chortling went from there.

I wanted to understand nothing. So I read Fareed Zakaria. pic.twitter.com/XjCJobnGIc – Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 21, 2018

This actually explains populism extremely well, just not in the way Zakaria intended. pic.twitter.com/yg1qYBhUsg – Ernie Tedeschi (@ernietedeschi) September 21, 2018

I wanted to understand quantum physics. So I talked to Fred Durst. pic.twitter.com/BaZI1Ym48Q – Luke Savage (@LukewSavage) September 21, 2018

EDITOR: Hey your column on European populism is due in 5 minutes

FAREED ZAKARIA [on the phone with Bono, hasn’t written a single word]: Yeah cool I’m almost done pic.twitter.com/Lrlp5gLSNV – Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) September 21, 2018

Both Zakaria and the Washington Post did not immediately respond to request for comment from TheWrap.