The Real Reason Lil Pump Endorsed Trump
The 2020 presidential election has been nothing if not divisive. More than just causing an argument at Sunday night dinner, outspoken supporters on either side are likely to come under fire for their political leanings.
Case in point: Lil Wayne came out in support of President Donald Trump on Oct. 29, 2020, via a tweet praising the president's commitment to "criminal reform." Days later, rumors began to circulate that Lil Wayne's girlfriend, model Denise Bidot, dumped him over his support of Trump. On the other side of the fence, Lady Gaga publicly supported former Vice President Joe Biden by performing at a rally the day before the election, causing her dad to tweet his support of Trump (despite POTUS' disparaging comments about his famous daughter).
As the Mother Monster took to the stage for Biden in Delaware, Trump called Lil Pump (whom he mistakenly called "Little Pimp") to the stage at his own rally in Michigan. "Does everyone ... know how big he is?" Trump said to the crowd. The question was met with halfhearted cheers as some in the audience shook their heads in confusion. For those who don't know, Lil Pump is a rapper who's well known for his collaborations with other artists, including Kanye West. So, why did Lil Pump endorse Donald Trump (especially since West was still officially on the ballot)? Let's find out.
Lil Pump's endorsement of Trump was controversial
When Lil Pump took the stage at Donald Trump's rally on Nov. 3, 2020, he did not mince words. "Hello everybody, how you guys feeling? I've come here to say, Mr. President, I appreciate everything you have done for our country," the rapper said enthusiastically, before adding, "MAGA 2020, don't forget that!"
It was something of a surprise when Lil Pump came out in support of President Trump, and not just because Pump's friend Kanye West — with whom he collaborated for his song, "I Love It" — was also running for the Oval Office. The response to Lil Pump's endorsement was less than enthusiastic from his fan base, though. People were so angry over it, that Pump lost about 300,000 Instagram followers in one day, per NME. Feeling pressure to respond, Pump's record label, Tha Lights Global, issued a public statement saying that while they support their artists' right to vote for the candidate of their choice, they disagreed with Lil Pump and were backing the Democratic ticket, per Billboard.
For his part, Lil Pump — who has since changed his Instagram username to "Lil Pimp" — responded to the criticism with an Instagram Story, where he (aggressively) outlined his reasons for voting for Trump. According to Fox News, among the many "expletive-filled" reasons were Biden's platform of taxing the super-wealthy, which, the outlet points out, Lil Pump believes includes himself. No word yet as to how Kanye West took the news.