Rihanna Needed A Drink To Talk About Trump & Politics In 'Vogue,' & TBH, Same
If the state of politics in 2019 is driving you to distraction, you're not alone. In a recent profile for the November 2019 issue of Vogue, Our Lady of the Met Gala, Rihanna herself, weighed in on politics, the president, and how much champagne she needs to get through this political reality. Let's just say that Rihanna's comments about Trump do not exactly hold back, so go ahead and raise your hand if you're already hoping for RiRi 2020.
Rihanna is known for her give-no-f*cks attitude, and apparently, that extends to politics. In a cover story for Vogue published online on Oct. 9, interviewer Abby Aguirre asked the superstar if she was willing to discuss politics, to which Rihanna apparently replied with a very relatable, "How deep you wanna get?" and then asked the waitress for more champagne. Honestly, I do not for a moment blame her for fortifying a little before getting into it.
When asked about Trump specifically, Rihanna went in. Discussing the president's response to mass shootings in Texas and Ohio in August, Rihanna called out the president for blaming the violence on mental illness. "Um... Donald, you spelled terrorism wrong!” she wrote on Instagram at the time. She told Vogue,
People are being murdered by war weapons that they legally purchase. This is just not normal. That should never, ever be normal. And the fact that it’s classified as something different because of the color of their skin? It’s a slap in the face. It’s completely racist. ... Put an Arab man with that same weapon in that same Walmart [in El Paso, Texas] and there is no way that Trump would sit there and address it publicly as a mental health problem.
Elite Daily reached out to the White House for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Go ahead and slow clap, everyone. I'll wait.
She also confirmed reports that she had declined an opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl in order to show solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who in 2016 originated the protest in which athletes kneel during the national anthem to demonstrate against police brutality. Kaepernick went unsigned by any team in 2017, and later filed a grievance against the NFL for alleged blacklisting, which was settled in early 2019. "I just couldn’t be a sellout," she told Vogue, adding that there were things about the NFL she vehemently disagreed with, "and [she] was not about to go and be of service to them in any way." Trump had not infrequently railed against the protests, even suggesting all protesting athletes should be fired.
Rihanna is hardly the only big name who's voiced her disdain for the president and state of American politics. Twitter royalty Chrissy Teigen has a years-long beef with the president (high points: when he blocked her, and when she changed her Twitter bio to make fun of him). Captain America himself Chris Evans has also made a point to highlight racism and troubling comments by the president. Even climate activist Greta Thunberg recently went viral when she couldn't hide her look of scorn for Trump at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
So Rihanna is in good company is what I'm saying. America may not be seeing RiRi visiting the White House anytime soon, but dare I hope to see her advocating or speaking out on the 2020 campaign trail? She definitely has some things to say.
