Donald Trump urges supporters to back country singer Jason Aldean calling him a ‘fantastic guy’ who has a ‘great new song’ – amid controversy over lyrics and video being filmed at a lynching site
Former President Donald Trump urged his supporters to support country singer Jason Aldean, who has been embroiled in a scandal over a song and new music video.
The Republican ex-president took to Truth Social overnight on Thursday to praise Aldean’s single, Try That In A Small Town, which was released in May, but the video dropped Friday.
Aldean has been criticized for the song’s lyrics—which suggest that “good boys” from the small town will use the “gun my grandpa gave me” against car thieves and robbers—as well as those who “call names on a cop” and “stamp the flag and light it.”
The video was shot in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee – the site where an 18-year-old black man named Henry Choate was lynched by a mob in 1927 and where a 1946 race riot took place.
‘Jason Aldean is a fantastic guy who just released a great new song. Fully support Jason. MAGA!!!’ Trump posted on Truth.
Former President Donald Trump expressed his support for embattled country singer Jason Aldean, who is facing criticism for a new music video
Trump endorsed Aldean in an overnight tweet Thursday, calling him a “great guy who just came out with a great new song”
Aldean’s video has already been pulled by Country Music Television, with the network giving no official reason for the move.
However, gun control activists expressed horror at the lyrics, especially since Aldean survived the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting — where 61 people were shot and more than 400 injured in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
“Hey Jason. I was also there on Route 91. While you were protected by your security team, I saw someone bleeding to death on the ground. So what about some class and respect for the victims and survivors and what we go through every day and just stfu. Thank you,’ said Twitter user @Ninergirl99.
Singer Sheryl Crow publicly slammed Aldean’s message.
“I’m from a small town,” she remarked. “Even people in small towns are tired of violence. There is nothing petty or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone who survived a mass shooting. This is not American or small town style. It’s just stupid.’
Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones, who was briefly ejected from the body by his Republican colleagues for protesting tougher gun laws in the wake of mass shootings at Nashville’s Covenant School, said: “As lawmakers in Tennessee, we have a duty to condemn Jason Aldean’s horrific song calling for racial violence.”
“What a shameful view of arms extremism and vigilance. We will continue to advocate for common sense gun laws that protect ALL of our children and communities,” Jones said.
Jason Aldean’s video was shot in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee – the site of a 1927 mob lynching of an 18-year-old black man named Henry Choate and the site of a 1946 race riot
Aldean posted a lengthy statement on Twitter on Tuesday saying the allegations – especially those suggesting racism – “went too far.”
“In the last 24 hours I’ve been accused of putting out a pro-lynching song (one that’s been out since May) and I’ve been compared that I (direct quote) wasn’t too happy with the nationwide BLM protests,” He wrote. “These references are not only worthless, they are also dangerous.”
“There’s not a single lyric in the song that references or alludes to race – and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t actual news footage – and while I can respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music – this one goes too far,” he said.
The video shows Aldean and his band playing in front of the courthouse.
Footage is then spliced through the music video, claiming to show crimes and urban unrest similar to the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that followed the 2020 police killing of George Floyd.
Jason Aldean (left) and his wife Brittany (right) have attended former President Donald Trump’s New Year’s Eve celebrations at Mar-a-Lago. Here they are pictured on New Year’s Eve 2023
Trump kisses Brittany Aldean (right) on the forehead with Jason (left) by her side, as the couple called the former president at Mar-a-Lago in 2023
online sleuths, including TikTok user Destinee Starkfound that some of the footage, including a woman giving officers the middle finger and someone throwing a Molotov cocktail, was not filmed in the US or stock footage, respectively.
Trump’s support for Aldean wasn’t surprising, given that the country star and his wife Brittany have spent time with the former president and even attended his New Year’s Eve parties at Mar-a-Lago.
Aldean has also been spotted playing golf with Trump.
The former president condemned the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020.
He countered them by pushing a “law and order” message while running for re-election, supporting law enforcement against those protesting police brutality against black Americans.
The ex-president was also unsympathetic to calls to remove Confederate monuments, saying they represented US “heritage” and not a racist past.