Jason Aldean Dedicates Controversial Song To Donald Trump Following Shooting
on Jul 15, 2024
Jason Aldean is one of many country stars who spoke out following the shooting at former president Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Jason Aldean, a longtime friend and supporter of Donald Trump, took the stage in Nashville Saturday night, just hours after a gunman attempted to take the life of the former president. Aldean addressed the shooting, saying, “Listen up! President Trump is a friend of mine so I’m gonna send this next song out to him. We all know what’s gonna happen come November, so it’s all good.”
To cheers he added, “Just goes to show you there’s a lot of bull**** in the world and that’s kind of what this song right here is about. So this goes out to the Prez.”
Aldean then launched into a performance of his controversial anthem, “Try That In A Small Town.”
“Try That In A Small Town” Controversy Explained
In May, 2023, Jason Aldean released “Try That In A Small Town” as the lead single for his 11th studio album, Highway Desperados. The song drew little attention until the release of the music video in July. Upon its release, the video drew outrage and accusations of thinly-veiled racism, due in part to the location of the video filming.
The video for the song was filmed in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee. The courthouse is known to locals as a place where incidents of racial violence took place and was the location of the Columbia Race Riot of 1946.
The “Try That In A Small Town” video also included clips of riots, protests, flag burning, and attacks on law enforcement.
RELATED: CMT PULLS “TRY THAT IN A SMALL TOWN” VIDEO AMID CONTROVERSY
Aldean and his team denied allegations that the video included racist undertones. In a statement posted to social media at the time, Jason Aldean defended the song and the video, calling the accusations “meritless” and “dangerous.”
“There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage -and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far,” Jason wrote.
“As so many pointed out, I was present at Route 91-where so many lost their lives- and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy. NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart.”
In response, CMT pulled Aldean’s music video from their lineup, but the move only fueled the song’s success. “Try That In A Small Town” went on to become Aldean’s first No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also marked the biggest-selling week for a country song in over a decade.
Watch the official music video for “Try That In A Small Town” below.
