Shania Twain Apologizes for Trump Voting Comments After Backlash

Shania Twain wasn’t able to vote in the 2016 U.S. presidential election — but in an interview with The Guardian, she indicated that she would have voted for President Donald Trump if she had the opportunity to do so. She has now walked back her statement, saying she wanted to give it “more context.”

The country singer, Canadian citizen and Switzerland resident spoke with the newspaper about American politics, among other topics.

“I would have voted for him because, even though he was offensive, he seemed honest,” she says of Trump. “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?”

On Sunday night, Twain addressed her comments with a statement posted on social media, clarifying that she does “not hold any common moral beliefs with the current President.”

“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,” she began on Twitter Sunday evening.

“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,” she wrote.

“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,” she concluded.

Her apology comes the same month as she has been promoting her new record, Now, which marks her return to the spotlight after being diagnosed with dysophonia, a vocal problem she encountered after contacting Lyme disease.

“I had gone through so many scary times with my voice and getting my voice back,” Twain told First for Women. “I wondered if I would ever be able to record an album again and put a permanent stamp on a body of work. I was petrified about diving into the album and taking on the challenge.”

Twain has undergone several trials since Up! was released in 2002. In addition to her illness, Twain ended her marriage with her first husband, producer Mutt Lange, after he admitted to an affair with Twain’s close friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud.

But Twain, who later married Thiébaud’s husband, Frédéric Thiébaud, learned to overcome her challenges. In 2012, Twain returned to the concert stage, launching a two-year residency, Shania: Still the One in Las Vegas, beginning her comeback into country music.

“I’m feeling really good,” says Twain. “I’m feeling like I’ve achieved an enormous amount in the last couple of years.”