As we near the end of the 25th day of the ongoing partial government shutdown, President Trump is receiving criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. While many are out of work due to the shutdown, thousands others will be without food stamps this month. Cardi B recently joined the long list of public figures to condemn Trump for the shutdown, accusing him of stubbornly sticking to the shutdown plan in an attempt to get validation from minority groups, according to KRPC Click2Houston .
On Tuesday, the 26-year-old rapper took to Instagram Live to voice her frustrations on the current state of the government. She expressed her opinion that Trump made campaign promises he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep in order to win the 2016 election. Now he is in the position of either fulfilling those promises or going down in history as a leader who’s words were more powerful than his actions. Cardi B believes that the commander-in-chief is seeking clout, or influence over societal groups. She compared him to new musicians who base their daily decisions on earning the validation and respect of others. “He’s like one of these new rap artists — they follow, they do the most for clout. And Trump wants that,” she said.
Cardi B berates Trump over shutdown: ‘We need to take some action’ https://t.co/Uen9Csh0az
— Guardian US (@GuardianUS) January 17, 2019
Cardi B referenced the president’s attempt to forge connections with influential pop culture figures from athletes to popular musicians. “Trump wants to be cool with basketball teams, football teams and black people,” she explained.
“He wants to be cool with them. He wants validation from what’s popping right now. Some people can have money, all the power in the world, but they really want that fame. His legacy, he wants to go down as that bad person.”
During this point in Trump’s presidency, he can benefit from any support he can get from mainstream culture. Those of influence have been notably hesitant to support the president out of fear of sparking controversy. Rapper Kanye West has been particularly vocal about his support for Trump, despite losing the respect of many fellow musicians. West has been spotted in public wearing a Make America Great Again hat and frequently tweets his support of Trump’s political moves. He even attended a personal meeting with the president in the White House, which unsurprisingly caused a media firestorm.
Most recently, the president has worked towards forging a connection in the world of sports. After the Clemson University football team won the national championship, Trump personally bought the entire team fast food.
