On October 2, President Donald Trump tweeted that both he and the first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19.
There was an outpouring of good wishes for a speedy recovery from the president’s staff and constituencies alike. However, one of the most vocal anti-Trump demographics are having a field day with the news—and that’s the Hip-Hop community.
Some of Hip-Hop’s premier acts took to social media to voice their opinions (and joy) on the Commander-in-Chief’s current health status. Cardi B, who has never bitten her tongue when it comes to her feelings on the Trump Administration, responded to the news via her Twitter account.
Other rap luminaries like 50 Cent & Wale also took to Twitter to comment on the ironic turn of events.
Trump has downplayed the severity of coronavirus since its beginning stages. He has also done a terrible job as far as providing comfort and relief, both economically and emotionally. The idea of him and his wife contracting the disease is the type of twist that M. Night Shymalan himself couldn’t write.
Though most of the Hip-Hop community (and the world) are ecstatic that Trump has contracted something that will make him just as sick as he has made the United States the last four years, some believe this is an elaborate ruse. Media maestro Charlamagne Tha God and Kanye West’s potential running mate, Chance The Rapper, feel this is yet another lie that Trump and his team have concocted.
President Trump is coming off the heels of a disastrous presidential debate with former Vice President Joe Biden. Many believe this coronavirus claim is a tactic devised to garner sympathy for Trump and his administration or to aid in his feverish attempts to stall next month’s election.
At one time, the name Donald Trump was a status symbol in rap. His name was synonymous with wealth, luxury, and enterprise amongst the Hip-Hop faithful. During the ’90s and parts of the 2000s, Trump had a cool pass. A quick Google search and photos of Trump with various rappers will emerge–including one of him and elder statesman Snoop Dogg, who seemed to have a bit of reciprocated respect for 45. But these days “Tha Doggfather” will take any and every opportunity to voice his displeasure with the current Leader of the Free World.
Historically, President Trump hasn’t endeared himself to the Hip-Hop community since entering the political arena. His continued disrespect of former President Barack Obama, the dog whistle rhetoric he uses when addressing Black people in general, and his racist and dismissive tone while talking about Black entertainers and athletes protesting police brutality have played on a loop for the world to witness.
As a result, Hip-Hop is reveling in the news of Trump’s compromised health. Word of his diagnosis has highlighted how much he is an enemy to the culture and Black people. He still has a vocal portion of Black people who continue to sing his praises, but anyone will be hard-pressed to find supporters among rappers. Even his one time biggest cheerleader, Kanye West, has not only ditched the MAGA hat that he once called his “superhero cape” but has haphazardly announced his bid for the presidency as well.
Many of the pundits on the Left have expressed sympathy for the president and his wife. They’ve embraced the ‘When they go low, we go high’ spirit of the former first lady Michele Obama. But in the immortal words of rappers YG and the late Nipsey Hussle, COVID or no COVID (real or fake)…It’s still “FDT” (“F*ck Donald Trump”).