Rapper Lil Wayne‘s apparent endorsement of President Donald Trump ahead of the Nov. 3 election is drawing strong reactions, and plenty of confusion, from social media. The rapper voiced his support for the president in a social media post on Thursday, sharing a photo of himself and Trump after they had a “great meeting.”
In his post, which was shared to Twitter, Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., lauded Trump for “what he’s done so far with criminal reform.” He also praised the president’s Platinum Plan, revealed earlier this month, which he said “is going to give the community real ownership.” Lil Wayne said that during their meeting, Trump “listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done.”
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Just had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump @potus besides what he’s done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership. He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done. 🤙🏾 pic.twitter.com/Q9c5k1yMWf
— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) October 29, 2020
According to CNN, the Platinum Plan was unveiled by the president during an Atlanta event in early October. Aimed toward Black voters, the plan includes a number of “pillars” such as building neighborhoods with the “highest policing standards,” expanding school choice, increasing Black homeownership, and creating a “national clemency project to right wrongful prosecutions and to pardon individuals who have reformed their (lives).” The proposal also calls for the prosecution of the Ku Klux Klan and Antifa as terrorist organizations and making Juneteenth a federal holiday.
As the rapper’s post was retweeted by the president, and as Yahoo News White House Correspondent Hunter Walker reported that the president’s campaign “blasted” a text message about the meeting to Black supporters, social media erupted in a discussion. While some expressed their outrage at the rapper’s endorsement, many more simply expressed their confusion over his support. Scroll down to see what social media is saying.
This was the very last thing I expected to see today
— KingWeirdGlitch (@D1Z3ND) October 29, 2020
I see you’re following the Cube Controversy train!😏 So disappointing. Why not just get back to MAKING some great music🤨 Instead of pandering to a guy that has No Intentions on doing any kind of reform, especially for blacks! But we’ll wait on this “assured he will get it done”!
— BajanGirlXx (@bajan_xx) October 30, 2020
According to ABC News, Lil Wayne has name-dropped the president in a number of his songs, rapping, “get money like Donald Trump,” in “Racks on Racks.” In 2016, however, he voiced support for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Despite his Thursday tweet, the rapper did not indicate if he plans to vote for Trump in the upcoming election.
I did not have lil Wayne being a trump supporter on my bingo card
— Karl From Online (Karl Mode) (@HammerFist3) October 30, 2020
Lil Wayne endorsing Trump is so funny and by funny I mean a harbinger of the dystopian reality we live in
— rayna (@comingsoontoVHS) October 30, 2020
Lil Wayne is just the latest rapper to show support for the president. His show of support for Trump on Thursday followed similar endorsements made by Ice Cube and Lil Pump.
NO WHAT IS THISS https://t.co/iiWLWXmWYL
— elena (@elenaimaciel) October 29, 2020
If there’s one thing you can always count on it’s rich people being rich 😔😔 https://t.co/sXjJliXF4s
— ash (@scorpiosquatch) October 29, 2020
Although he had once vowed that he would never endorse Trump, Ice Cube in late September indicated that he would be open to voting to re-elect the president. In an interview with TMZ Live, the rapper said that he would be open to voting for Trump if he could come around on some of the issues that he felt neither side was addressing, namely issues impacting Black Americans.
i just destroyed all of my CDs of yours
— Abbott & Costello meet Mikey Claims Biden 2020 🌊 (@Mikey_Claims) October 30, 2020
I’m just kidding
I never had any
Who are you?
Lil Wayne ain’t fooling anyone…
— Angela Belcamino (@AngelaBelcamino) October 30, 2020
Sadly, It’s all about those benjamins. 💵
In early October it was revealed that he was collaborating with the Trump administration on what he said is a plan to help Black Americans. His “Contract with Black America” calls on lawmakers to make concrete, policy-based promises to Black Americans to put an end to systemic racism. Katrina Pierson, a senior advisor for Trump, indicated in a tweet that Ice Cube collaborated with the president’s administration on a plan to address the financial concerns within the Black community.
Lil Wayne said racism wasn’t real. Kanye said slavery was a choice. Lil Pump doesn’t know how to read. Are we really that surprised by their endorsement of McDonald Trump?
— Ríck SânChež (@DerrickAustin92) October 30, 2020
Bruh @LilTunechi @kanyewest @50cent supporting @realDonaldTrump is that actually going to sway anyone? These dudes made good music in the past that’s about it tho lol🤣🤷♂️ https://t.co/yZ8Uwpbi5T
— magnutty (@NuttyMaggs) October 30, 2020
Those revelations led to an influx of backlash, and the rapper defended his decision, while also seeming to attempt to distance himself from the president, during a recent interview with Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace. According to USA Today, the rapper told Wallace that he’s “not playing no more of these political games. I’m going to whoever’s in power and I’m going to speak to them about our problems.”
man i was just listening to carter 4. https://t.co/8jiArBoYUs pic.twitter.com/jE9Hi5GSzF
— chief keef fan (@sherman_2319) October 30, 2020
that wasn’t very cash money of you https://t.co/bARG7gWdpI
— bri💖 PLEASE VOTE!! (@bridache) October 30, 2020
Lil Pump, meanwhile, gave Trump his endorsement back on Oct. 26, when he shared a photo of himself meeting the president alongside the caption, “THE DAY I MET TRUMP.” He added the hashtag “[Trump 202022020].” In a video, he also criticized Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, stating, “f– sleepy Joe.”
oh no 👀 WAYNE🤦♂️, I WOULD HAVE NEVER TOOK THIS PICTURE. #bransoncognac #lecheminduroi pic.twitter.com/SZAQ0Zm7Ks
— 50cent (@50cent) October 30, 2020
Several people reacting to Lil Wayne’s endorsement also pointed to 50 Cent, who appeared to endorse Trump on social media in mid-October when he urged his followers to “VOTE for TRUMP” in a post that seemed to criticize Biden’s proposed tax plan. The rapper, however, later backtracked, writing on Instagram, “f– Donald Trump, i never liked him.”
