During a recent appearance on Real Music With Gary Stuckey, Michael Sweet of Stryper opened up about backlash for his Donald Trump support.
The vocalist initially discussed how he collaborates with musicians like Tracii Guns of L.A. GUNS, who have very different opinions. He emphasized the importance of respect in such situations. Sweet admitted that he’s not perfect and sometimes makes mistakes or says things that might seem disrespectful. He then went on to say:
“I see disrespect towards Christians. I see Christians disrespect non-believers. I see Republicans disrespect Democrats, Democrats disrespect Republicans. I’m a Republican. I voted for [Donald] Trump first time around. I don’t know who I’m voting for this time around. But when I say publicly, if someone asks me, ‘Who’d you vote for?’ I’m not gonna sit there and fidget and lie.”
The Vocalist’s Public Support For Trump
In the later part of his chat, Sweet talked about the reaction he received from some of his friends for supporting Trump:
“I’m not a believer in you can’t mix politics with music. That’s just stupid. It’s part of your life. Talk about that. Be open about it. What are you so afraid of? And I said, ‘Yeah, I voted for Trump,’ and boy, I took a beating for that — some of my friends. Some of my friends were, like, ‘Oh, what a moron. He’s a Trumptard,’ or whatever these disrespectful words are that you can use that you’ve heard.”
The frontman also reflected on his thoughts on getting that kind of backlash:
“That’s mindblowing to me, man. That’s why we have so many issues in our world. Everyone talks about peace and a better world being politically correct, and being respectful of everybody, but yet people are more disrespectful now than they’ve ever been. It’s insane.”
Sweet’s Reason For Endorsing Trump
Sweet has been vocal about his support for the former US President for years. Speaking to Slabber.net in 2020, he explained why he chose to vote for Trump, saying:
“I have put it out there already that I voted for Donald Trump four years ago. I voted for him because I had really become fed up with politicians. I feel like most, if not all, politicians are there to tell us what we want to hear so they can get into office, and once they get there they don’t deliver. So, when Donald Trump came around, I thought, okay, this guy is not a politician and he’s going to be different, and that’s why I voted for him.”
In November 2016, the singer faced backlash from some Stryper fans after he posted a picture of Trump and congratulated him for his efforts in becoming President. Later, despite some media criticism of Trump for his handling of COVID-19, Sweet commended Trump’s efforts to enhance the federal government’s response to the pandemic.
You can watch the full interview below.
