Shania Twain apologizes after saying she would've voted for Trump
Country-pop songstress Shania Twain quickly backpedaled after being quoted as saying she would’ve voted for President Donald Trump in an interview.
Twain, who is a Canadian native and resides in Switzerland, was quoted Sunday by The Guardian as saying she’d have backed Trump in the 2016 election “because, even though he was offensive, he seemed honest.”
“Do you want straight or polite? Not that you shouldn’t be able to have both,” she said. “If I were voting, I just don’t want bullshit. I would have voted for a feeling that it was transparent. And politics has a reputation of not being that, right?”
The singer, who enjoys a large LGBTQ fan base and appeared on an episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” last week, quickly lit up social media with her remarks. Among those to chime in was comedian (and outspoken Trump critic) Kathy Griffin.
Shania who?
This is my favorite Canadian singer. pic.twitter.com/YVhiuN1QHz— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) April 22, 2018
Similarly, actor-comedian Billy Eichner had a few tongue-in-cheek thoughts on Twain’s remarks.
Welp, starting to rethink my initial plan to let Shania Twain guide all of my political, socioeconomic and spiritual beliefs
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) April 22, 2018
By Sunday evening, however, Twain offered a lengthy apology on Twitter. The interview question, she said, was “unexpected” and as a result, her response was “awkward” and lacked appropriate context.
I would like to apologise to anybody I have offended in a recent interview with the Guardian relating to the American President. The question caught me off guard. As a Canadian, I regret answering this unexpected question without giving my response more context (1/4)
— Shania Twain 💎 (@ShaniaTwain) April 22, 2018
I am passionately against discrimination of any kind and hope it’s clear from the choices I have made, and the people I stand with, that I do not hold any common moral beliefs with the current President (2/4)
— Shania Twain 💎 (@ShaniaTwain) April 22, 2018
I was trying to explain, in 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 (3/4)
— Shania Twain 💎 (@ShaniaTwain) April 22, 2018
My answer was awkward, but certainly should not be taken as representative of my values nor does it mean I endorse him. I make music to bring people together. My path will always be one of inclusivity, as my history shows. (4/4)
— Shania Twain 💎 (@ShaniaTwain) April 22, 2018
Twain, 52, released her first album in 15 years, “Now,” last September. Following a surprise backstage appearance at Coachella, she’s slated to kick off a world tour in Tacoma, Washington next month.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.