Toby Keith's Politics Weren't as Clear-Cut as You Might Think
By Joseph AllenFeb. 6 2024, Updated 11:51 a.m. ET
In the early a part of this century, nation musician Toby Keith — who unfortunately passed away at age 62 on Feb. 5, 2024, following a fight with abdomen most cancers — used to be outspoken about his political views. His most famed political moment likely got here with the song "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue," a music written in response to the terrorist attacks on 9/11. But, on the whole, Toby's politics weren't as clear-cut as you could suppose.
What had been Toby Keith's political views?
Although he was a registered Democrat in 2008, Toby was once absolute best known politically for his reinforce for the George W. Bush administration. In 2004, Toby described himself as "a conservative Democrat who is sometimes embarrassed for his party." That same yr, he supported George Bush's reelection campaign, but when he was asked about his toughen for the Iraq War in 2007, he mentioned that he had "never" supported it.
In 2008, Toby was interested in both Barack Obama and John McCain, however he in the end introduced that he had left the Democratic Party and reregistered as an unbiased. "My party that I've been affiliated with all these years doesn't stand for anything that I stand for anymore," he said. "They've lost any sensibility that they had, and they've allowed all the kooks in. So I'm going independent."
Did Toby Keith support Donald Trump?
Although many artists got here out in opposition to Trump, Toby was one of the few musicians who was prepared to perform at his inauguration in 2017. After he performed, Toby stated he got various messages from fellow artists who had been jealous that Toby had carried out and they hadn't. “I’m now not naming names, however there’s a bunch of people that ... had been dedicated, and they sponsored out because of drive,” Toby stated.
Toby mentioned that it had by no means came about to him to imagine canceling on Trump and pointed out that he had carried out at events for both George Bush and Barack Obama. For Toby, the event used to be more about honoring America than any particular president. It was also a move that he believed would go over neatly along with his fanatics.
"If you don’t succumb to that kind of pressure, you’ll always come out stronger. Your fans will love you more, your friends will love you more, your peers will respect you more,” Toby said. “At the end of the day, you just get another notch on your gun belt.”
Toby received a National Medal of the Arts from President Trump.
Just a week after President Trump played a role in inciting a mob to take over the Capitol for hours, news broke in January 2021 that Toby Keith and Ricky Skaggs had been awarded National Medals of the Arts by the president. The ceremony was reportedly held in private, and Toby did not make any public statements about the award.
According to the National Endowment for the Arts website, the medal is presented to artists who "are deserving of particular reputation by reason why in their outstanding contributions to the excellence, expansion, improve and availability of the humanities within the United States." Toby gained the award on Jan. 13, the same day President Trump turned into the first president to be impeached two times.
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