Kid Rock has hailed President Donald Trump as the “dragon slayer” of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies within the federal government and praised him for ushering “cancel culture” out of the national conversation while acknowledging that, sometimes, “a little spanking” can be necessary.
Speaking to Fox News Digital at his “Rock N Rodeo” event in Arlington, Texas, on Friday, the singer was asked about the state of the culture wars in the United States since Trump returned to the White House in January.
“I think wokeness and DEI and cancel culture is starting to exit the building, and we can thank President Trump for leading that charge once again,” he answered.
“I call him the dragon slayer in that regard, ’cuz he just came and slit the throat of DEI and wokeness.
“There’s always gonna be cancel culture at some level, somebody getting butt sore about this, wants to protest and not buy a product or whatever. You know, me personally, I’m not into seeing people lose their jobs over some corporate decision that was made.”
Drawing attention to his own role in the anti-woke pushback, notably joining the conservative boycott of Bud Light beer in 2023 after the brand featured transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in a commercial, Rock continued: “Sometimes there needs [to be] a little spanking there, like Bud Light had from me and some other people, but at the end of the day, we forgave them, said, ‘It’s all good. Let’s get back on track.’
“I do think it’s exiting the building right now, and hopefully it stays gone, but we should be a merit-based system. The best and [most] hardworking rises to the top.
“I don’t know how we got here, because to me, that’s just common sense, that’s just the ultimate, highest level of common sense that just the best and the hardest workers rise to the top. It doesn’t matter, anything else.”
A long-time supporter and Florida golf buddy of Trump, Rock was invited to sum up the president’s first four months back in the Oval Office.
“My thoughts on President Trump’s presidency? Greatest president ever. I can sum it up like that,” he responded.
“Not only because of our friendship and all the laughs we share on the golf course or hanging out at UFC fights or whatever it might be, but just the tenacity this man has. You know, the most resilient.
“You know, I call myself the American Bad A**, but I think I got to ride shotgun on that moniker when I’m with the president. Just somebody who loves this country unapologetically, and fights for it every single day.”
Hinting at the extent of his personal pull with Trump, Rock said: “I remind him every day that, ‘Don’t forget, Mr President.’ I was like, ‘We can deal with reasonable people on the left.’
“‘That’s no problem,’ I go. ‘But there’s a lot of bad actors. Their goal, at the highest level, is to lock you up and take everything you had,’ I go. ‘And that we can’t forget. Those people need to be dealt with. But, other than that, love everybody. Let’s bring this country together.’”
