Country music legend Lee Greenwood recently spoke to Fox News Digital in a wide-ranging conversation about patriotism and the state of America. Greenwood famously wrote “God Bless the USA,” which has been an inspirational tune for the United States of America for 40 years.
Fox News Digital asked the musician, “What does being an American mean to you?” Greenwood answered, voicing his pride in having been born in this country. He said, “As I wrote [in ‘God Bless the USA’], I’m proud to be an American.”
He continued, emphasizing how the one thing that should bind everyone in the country is their status as an American citizen. “‘Well, you know, I’m an Italian American. I’m proud of my heritage.’ Or, ‘I’m African American. I’m proud of my heritage.’ Wait, we’re all Americans. And so it really gives me honor to say that I’m proud to be an American.”
The singer also pointed to America’s leadership on the global stage. Greenwood added, “We’re a beacon of hope for the rest of the world. There are other countries that embrace freedom, but no other country has the ability to protect it, to go after those who would defeat it and destroy it.”
However, Lee was not naive to the issues that are currently plaguing America, hinting at the culture war and the illegal immigration crisis at the southern border. “We have some conflict inside our borders, and we have people running across our borders who shouldn’t be,” he added.
Despite the seeming struggle of America to establish its identity amid intense political polarization, Greenwood remains optimistic about the foundations on which the U.S. was founded. According to the musician, America will endure as long as we adhere to the nation’s founding principles.
“But I still believe that if America continues to live by the doctrines we started with — and that’s the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights — if we live by those documents, no matter if the administration changes or not, then we can move on as an American public. And I have great faith in it,” he said.
The “God Bless the USA” singer further expressed his Christian faith and how it ties into his political leanings. When asked if he will be supporting any presidential campaigns ahead of the election, he explained that he will endorse whatever aligns with his beliefs.
“I’m a conservative Christian,” he said. “And if the doctrines and platform of the current running president does not appeal to me and yet the up-and-coming challenger [and his platform] does [appeal], I will support that challenger.”
Greenwood dismissed the idea of retiring amid the current political climate, where he indicated that he would “stand by” former President Trump if reelected. “With President Trump running — and if he was to be elected — I believe that I would stand by him and I would go ahead and work the next four years as an artist, as a touring artist. I have a great band. I don’t think there’s any reason to think that I should end my career at this point,” he said.
Featured image credit: Featured image credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lee_Greenwood_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg
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