Remember when Jason Aldean tried to pretend like it was chill that he released a music video featuring protest footage (and a performance shot in front of what was reportedly the site of a 1933 lynching) for a song promoting violence? And then proceeded to bemoan cancel culture as his fellow Republicans pushed the track to debut at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100?
That same guy is, unsurprisingly, all torn up about Donald Trump getting convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records yesterday (May 30). The thought of the former president getting something he earned for the first time in his life has Aldean feeling nervous to say the least, the country star asking, "What does this mean for the rest of us?"
Aldean took to Instagram to post an upside-down American flag, which is clearly a very normal, non-fascist thing to do. "Scary times in our country right now, man," he wrote. "When a former POTUS gets treated like this, what does that mean for the rest of us???" Probably that breaking the law is an action that does occasionally have actual consequences?
He added, "If there was ever a time to speak up, ITS [sic] NOW! Make no mistake.... We are in trouble." (The timing feels especially... special... given the outpouring of social media energy directed at Israel's military operations in Rafah this week following their latest offensive in Gaza).
Aldean's equally concerned wife, Brittany, continued in the comments, "WE LOVE YOU @realdonaldtrump. The ones with a brain can see through the smear campaign." It goes without saying that Trump supporters think the 2020 election was stolen and that this is all character assassination, etc., regardless of even the mere concept of factual information.
The Aldeans and Trump go way back, with Brittany having spread misinformation about the January 6 capitol rioters via social media in 2021. Since then, the couple have spent New Year's with him at Mar-a-Lago — and, of course, the former president voiced his support for Aldean's controversial "Try That in a Small Town" video, which was pulled from CMT's rotation.
See Aldean's Instagram post below, and wade into the comments at your own risk.