Country singer Nate Smith has made it clear that he is MAGA all the way and has a message for fellow artists in the genre that has landed him in hot water with the more liberal-minded individuals in the music scene. Shortly following the horrific assassination of conservative icon and co-founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, a number of country stars paid tribute to him.
Smith was opening up for fellow artist Jason Aldean in Chicago, one of the most liberal cities in the nation, when somebody from the audience gifted Smith with a “Make America Great Again” hat. The singer wasted no time putting the cap on while belting out one of his biggest hits. A video captured the moment and went viral not long after being posted online.
The clip garnered so much attention not only because Smith has been quiet about his politics, but because he essentially revealed where he stands right in the middle of a live performance. Smith also hails from California, a deep blue state. However, if you’re going to reveal you support President Donald Trump, a Jason Aldean concert is probably one of the safest places to do so.
According to Whiskey Riff, after the video went viral, Smith got on his Instagram account to share a photo of himself on stage with the MAGA hat, while also paying tribute to Kirk. “This week was one none of us will ever forget. Continue to join me in prayer for the Kirk family. America truly is grieving. However, what I witnessed over the last few days I’ve seen a strength in America that moves me to tears,” the post read.
“I’ve seen a boldness and a courage, and an unapologetic approach to standing firm on the side of truth. America is alive and well, friends. Let’s continue to make it great again,” the post concluded. In a video he posted later, Nate Smith referred to the moment as one of the proudest of his career, confessing that it felt good to find the courage to reveal his true beliefs to his fans.
“Truthfully, that was the proudest moment of my entire career so far. Not even a question, because being on stage in Chicago, getting handed that hat, being able to put it on, being able to live fully authentic to who I am in front of everybody just felt right. And it felt good and it felt free,” Smith said. “And I’ll tell you what, I’ve never felt more the spirit of America, spirit of patriotism in my entire life than I did on that stage. It was, it was unbelievable. And I just want to say thank you for that.”
“I also want to say, I don’t know why it’s been so scary to just be who you are at all times. Like why is it so scary to be like, ‘Yep, I voted for Trump. Yep. I’m a conservative.’ Cool…Why is that? Why is that such a hard thing to say on a public forum? It’s not,” the country star continued. Smith then said that the Charlie Kirk assassination altered his perspective on things.
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He then said that he’s gained a lot of new fans now that he’s spoken out about his politics. “I think everything that happened in the world recently, like just changed my entire perspective where I’m like, I just don’t even care anymore. I’m just going to live my full authentic self. And I found new fans, I’m so thankful for you guys. Thank you for coming on. Welcome, welcome aboard. I’m happy to have you here. This is amazing. And I think we got a lot in common. It’s awesome,” he said.
“I just wanted to say thank you. I really believe that America is gonna come into an incredible moment. Incredible moment where like faith is gonna just be the big thing. People are gonna come to Jesus in droves. People are gonna start figuring out all this crazy stuff. So anyways, thank you. I love you guys,” Smith concluded.
Smith posted another video some time later, filming it in his vehicle, where he made a clear statement to his fellow country music stars that might not share his views. “I’m going to say this one time and one time only. If you are in country music, you’re a country music artist, and you are anti-American, you hate America, you don’t share the values of Americans, we don’t want you here,” he stated, emphatically. We don’t want you in our genre. We want you out. Don’t let the door hit you in the a**.”
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Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video