Sexyy Red has decided to step back from endorsing Donald Trump after receiving backlash for wearing a giant MAGA hat during her performance at the 2024 Roots Picnic. The hat, emblazoned with ‘Make America Sexyy Again,’ drew mixed reactions from fans, many perceiving it as an endorsement of Trump.
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on June 3, 2024, the rapper clarified her stance: ‘It’s Sexyy Red 4 President 🇺🇸 I’m my own candidate I’m not endorsing anybody period 💋.’ This statement comes amid swirling reactions to her recent performance where she wore a variation of Trump’s iconic hat.
Sexyy Red previously spoke positively about Trump during an October interview on Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast. She highlighted Trump’s actions that she believes benefited the Black community, such as freeing individuals from prison and issuing stimulus checks during the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘I like Trump,’ she said. ‘Yeah, they support him in the hood. At first, I don’t think people was fucking with him. They thought he was racist, saying little shit against women. But once he started getting Black people out of jail and giving people that free money. Aww baby, we love Trump. We need him back in office. We need him back because, baby, them checks. Them stimulus checks. Trump, we miss you.’
Despite her past comments, the backlash on social media was swift. ‘Clearly some people don’t know how the stimulus checks worked, who’s money it actually was/is and how it got distributed… People believe anything,’ wrote Ebro Darden of Hot 97 and Apple Music on X. Another social media user expressed disappointment, ‘Disappointed to see this, she can’t be my fave new rapper no more. But she is right, them stimulus checks was kinda all it took for a lot of ppl to hop on the Trump train smh.’
Sexyy Red isn’t alone in the hip-hop community when it comes to supporting Trump; notable figures like Kanye West, Kodak Black, and Benny The Butcher have also previously shown their support.
Faced with mixed reactions and social media backlash, Sexyy Red has chosen to distance herself from endorsing any political figure, including Donald Trump. Instead, she humorously declared her own candidacy for president, aiming to keep the focus on her music and personal brand.
