Shania Twain's Pro-Trump Comments Have People Very, Very Upset
Welcome to Your Fave Might be Problematic: Shania Twain Edition.
On Sunday, The Guardian published a lengthy interview with the country star that was ostensibly meant to promote her upcoming tour. Instead Twain found herself at the center of an internet outrage storm after saying she would have voted for Donald Trump—if she could. (Twain is a Canadian and cannot vote in U.S. elections.) “I would have voted for him because, even though he was offensive, he seemed honest,” she says. “Do you want straight or polite? Not that you shouldn’t be able to have both. If I were voting, I just don’t want bullshit. I would have voted for a feeling that it was transparent. And politics has a reputation of not being that, right?”
The ensuing public relations mess prompted Twain to take to Twitter in an attempt to explain herself. She wrote in a series of tweets: “I would like to apologise to anybody I have offended in a recent interview with the Guardian relating to the American President. The question caught me off guard. As a Canadian, I regret answering this unexpected question without giving my response more context. I am passionately against discrimination of any kind and hope it’s clear from the choices I have made, and the people I stand with, that I do not hold any common moral beliefs with the current President. I was trying to explain, in response to a question about the election, that my limited understanding was that the President talked to a portion of America like an accessible person they could relate to, as he was NOT a politician. My answer was awkward, but certainly should not be taken as representative of my values nor does it mean I endorse him. I make music to bring people together. My path will always be one of inclusivity, as my history shows.”
The apology did not stop the flood of “That Don’t Impress Me Much” jokes and the realization for many that they knew a lot more Shania fans than they expected.
We’re guessing Twain won’t be dipping into American politics again any time soon.