GOP presidential candidates are wading into a new cultural battle by playing Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” at their campaign events.
In New Hampshire on Thursday, Vivek Ramaswamy started and ended his town hall by playing the song by country star Aldean, whose music video prominently features a courthouse that was the site of a lynching in 1927 was pulled from the air this week by CMT after backlash.
“I was keeping the promise I made yesterday or two days ago when that song was subject to censorship and cancellation,” Ramaswamy told NBC News. “If this is a song that a guy is brave enough to actually stand up for, the American values that unite most Americans, but he’s the one that’s canceled, we will do our part to send him to number one on the Billboard Chart. I said we would play it at all of our rallies and we did at this event tonight.”
GOP contender Nikki Haley played the song ahead of her entrance during a campaign stop Thursday night in Greenville, South Carolina. “I hope you loved my playlist before I came on,” Haley said.
She was more direct in her embrace of the song in a tweet that followed her campaign event. “You all know I love music... tonight in Greenville we added a new song to the playlist: Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town,’” she wrote on Twitter.
Former President Donald Trump offered similar praise Thursday on his Truth Social platform: “Jason Aldean is a fantastic guy who just came out with a great new song. Support Jason all the way. MAGA!!!”
Trump’s former running mate and now opponent, Mike Pence, defended the song while speaking to reporters in New Hampshire. “I think the attacks on Jason Aldean for penning a song that just really celebrates the strength of small towns like the one I grew up in is really despicable, and it’s just an example of the kind of conflict within the popular culture that we’ve grown accustomed to.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has also spoken about the song, saying Aldean "smartly leaned in on this, and I think it's just ridiculous that they're going after him on this. We may have to use it the next time we do a public event."
And North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said, "Go Jason Aldean" in an appearance on Fox Business.
The song has come under scrutiny, with some critics describing the lyrics as “pro-lynching.” Aldean has rejected that characterization, saying in a statement that there “is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it.”
