What To Know
- Natalie Maines, lead singer of The Chicks, posted a harsh message on Instagram criticizing President Donald Trump.
- The post sparked divided reactions online.
- Maines and her band faced major backlash in 2003 for criticizing President George W. Bush.
The Chicks singer Natalie Maines just sent a scathing message to President Donald Trump more than 20 years after the country group was canceled for criticizing President George W. Bush.
On May 18, Maines, the lead singer of the band (formerly the Dixie Chicks) — famous for songs like “Cowboy Take Me Away” and “Wide Open Spaces” — took to Instagram with a blunt message for the POTUS.
“Our democracy is disappearing right before our eyes,” she began the update. “This fugly slut is using your gas money to pay the insurrectionists. But don’t worry about it. I’m sure posting selfies will fix everything.”
Maines, 51, continued, “My last post that called him a fugly slut got removed. We’ll see how long this one lasts. Repost and help the message live.” She concluded her post by claiming, “Named 1M times in the #epsteinfiles.” (In reality, the Epstein files mentioned Trump, his wife, Melania Trump, Mar-a-Lago, and other related phrases more than 38,000 times, per The New York Times.)
In the comments, Instagram users were deeply divided in their reactions to Maines’ post. One follower declared, “Get it, Natalie! You were right in 2003, and you are today.”
Actress and singer Sandra Bernhard wrote, “Good to hear your voice, sister, you’ve always put yourself on the line for our country & that’s no joke.”
Another follower shared, “You been preachin’ truths from the start! Keep preachin’! ❤️ 🫶🏽 ❤️.”
However, others did not appreciate Maines’ sharp words against the president. One wrote, in all-caps, “You would have through you would have learned the first time u bashed a U.S. president.”
Another commented, “Um, you’re still irrelevant.
Someone else replied, “You are a joke, and it’s HILARIOUS.”
In March 2003, Maines elicited backlash for remarks she made at a concert in London. “We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas,” she said.
As a result, Dixie Chicks’ music was pulled from radio stations, fans destroyed CDs, and the group was “canceled.” However, they made a comeback in 2006, followed by a name change to The Chicks in 2020.