Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Shania Twain apologises over 'voting for Trump' comments

Country pop star received a backlash on social media after fans noticed her comments about the US president

Roisin O'Connor
Music Correspondent
Monday 23 April 2018 02:49 EDT
Comments
(Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Shania Twain has apologised after making an "awkward" remark where she appeared to suggest she would have voted for Donald Trump if she could have.

The Canadian country pop star was speaking with the Guardian where she discussed several subjects including her divorce from long-time producer and collaborator Mutt Lange, her troubled childhood including being sexually and physically abused by her stepfather, and her recent album.

Towards the end of the interview she was quoted as saying she "would have voted for [Trump] because, even though he was offensive, he seemed honest".

"Do you want straight or polite? Not that you shouldn't be able to be both. If I were voting, I just don't want bulls**t. I would have voted for a feeling that it was transparent. And politics has a reputation of not being that, right?"

The comment was picked up on social media and her name began trending on Twitter, with many of her fans - particularly her LGBT+ fanbase - issuing fierce criticisms.

"I would like to apologise to anybody I have offended," Twain tweeted after the backlash. "The question caught me off-guard. As a Canadian, I regret answering this unexpected question without giving my response more context.

"I was trying to explain, in a response to a question about the election, that my limited understanding was that the president talked to a portion of America like an accessible person they could relate to, as he was not a politician."

She added: "My answer was awkward, but certainly should not be taken as a representative of my values nor does it mean I endorse him."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in