Country music star John Rich called out fellow artists who claim to support President Donald Trump but have remained silent since his inauguration, saying they need to "grow a pair," while naming Garth Brooks and Brad Paisley as those who back "the other side."
Several country stars, including Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, and Lee Greenwood, performed at Trump's inauguration Monday in Washington, D.C. Taking to X before the ceremony, Rich highlighted the contrast with musicians who haven't publicly taken a stance.
In the video, Rich said he was a "bigger fan" of Underwood after she spoke out about her decision to perform at the inauguration. Rich then directed his attention to musicians who have opted to keep their political views private.
Underwood's decision to perform for Trump "got me thinking about country artists that I know for a fact are real conservatives and support Trump that have yet to be heard from," Rich said.
"I started to compare that to some of the artists in country music who have supported the other side. And I started wondering, well, why is it that Garth Brooks has enough conviction about Joe Biden, for instance, that he would sing at Joe Biden's inauguration, that he would walk up and give Hillary Clinton a big old bear hug and stand out there and sing?
"Why is it that Brad Paisley will come to Nashville with Jill Biden and set up a COVID vaccine site and tell everybody to do their patriotic duty and show up and get your COVID vaccine?"
In June 2021, Paisley collaborated with then-first lady Jill Biden to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations as the world began to recover from the peak of the pandemic.
"I don't agree with those guys, but at least they had enough conviction to step forward and make those moves ... So where are the big-time A-listers that are conservative in country music? Where are they now?" he said of Paisley and Brooks
"I mean, Trump won the popular vote in a landslide victory. Every swing state went to Trump. What are you guys afraid of? Your record label? You're too big to cancel, guys. They cannot cancel you. If anything, if you step forward and speak your mind about what you truly believe and stand for, your crowd is going to get bigger. I bet," he continued.
"So anyway, I say congratulations to Brad Paisley, congratulations to Garth. Even though I disagree with them, I do respect the fact that they're willing to walk out with Joe Biden and Jill Biden and push vaccines and do all the things that they think are important.
"I just think the other side needs to be heard from as well. So listen, if you're a big country artist and you follow me, come on. It ain't outlaw to sit around and keep your mouth shut, alright.
"You can't claim to love Johnny Cash and [Kris] Kristofferson and Willie [Nelson] and Waylon [Jennings] and Tanya [Tucker] and Loretta [Lynn] and on and on, and say that you're following in their footsteps when you keep your mouth shut. God bless you and God bless America. Now, grow a pair."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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