Chappell Roan says election comments ‘taken out of context’: ‘No, I’m not voting for Trump’
Chappell Roan has clarified that she will not be voting for Donald Trump at the upcoming presidential election, explaining that comments in which she criticised both US parties had been “taken out of context”.
The 26-year-old pop icon had been criticised for her comments to The Guardian on Friday (20 September), in which she said she didn’t feel “pressured” to endorse a candidate for the US election, and that there were “problems on both sides” of the political aisle.
Some claimed that celebrities should be endorsing Kamala Harris, due to Donald Trump’s right-wing policies, and that Chappell was wrong for equally criticising both Republicans and Democrats.
In a TikTok posted on Tuesday (24 September), Chappell Roan clarified her comments, stating that she would not be voting for Trump, and that her comments had been “completely taken out of context”.
“I have encouraged people to use critical thinking skills, learn about what they’re voting for, learn about who they’re voting for and ask questions, and it’s being completely taken out of context, per usual,” the pop star said in her TikTok.
Defending her comments, Chappell said: “There is nuance to what I say in interviews, and I think it’s important that people use critical thinking.
“I think it’s important for me to question authority and question world leaders and question myself, question my algorithm, question if some person that tweeted something about someone else is even true.”
She continued: “If you come to my shows, if you read my full interviews, if you literally know anything about me and what I stand for, you know that this is not lip service and this is not virtue signalling… that my actions have always paved the way for my project and the people who know me.
“Actions speak louder than words, and actions speak louder than an endorsement.”
Roan ended the TikTok by reading the full quote from her Guardian interview, which she claimed “some people are just not reading”.
“So hear it from my mouth, if you’ll still wondering: No, I’m not voting for Trump,” she added. “And yes, I will always question those in power and those making decisions over other people.
“And I will stand up for what’s right and what I believe in, and it’s always at the forefront of my project… and I’m sorry that you fell for the clickbait.”
Chappell told Rolling Stone earlier in September: “Right now, it’s more important than ever to use your vote, and I will do whatever it takes to protect people’s civil rights, especially the LGBTQ+ community.
“My ethics and values will always align with that, and that hasn’t changed with a different nominee. I feel lucky to be alive during an incredibly historical time period when a woman of colour is a presidential nominee.”
Chappell Roan fans have jumped to the star’s defence, explaining that while she had criticised both Democrats and Republicans, she is politically-engaged, has previously criticised some of current US President Joe Biden’s policies, and has been consistently fighting for LGBTQ+ rights.
In June, the singer explained that she had turned down an invitation to perform at the White House for Pride due to her support for Palestine and trans rights.
“We want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come,” Chappell said about the White House invitation while dressed as the Statue of Liberty.
“In case you had forgotten what’s etched on my pretty little toes, ‘Give me your tired, your poor; your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,’”, quoting the sonnet written on the 1903 bronze plaque in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty by American poet Emma Lazarus.
“That means freedom and trans rights, that means freedom and women’s rights, and it especially means freedom for all people in oppressed people in occupied territories,” she said.
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