By all accounts Donald Trump’s presidency has been chaotic. In addition to taking a sledgehammer to former President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare bill, indiscriminately banning travelers from Muslim countries, starting a trade war with China, and calling for a restart to the old school war on drugs, Trump’s administration been riddled with scandals that have resulted in an unprecedented number of people fleeing from the west wing.
With so much upheaval, it’s hard to imagine the Trump administration as particularly good for America, but that’s exactly what JAY-Z thinks. But don’t worry, the legendary rapper turned businessman hasn’t jumped on the MAGA train.
“I think it’s actually a great thing,” Jigga said on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.
“He’s bringing out an ugly side of America that we wanted to believe was gone, and it’s still here. We still have to deal with it,” JAY-Z explained. “We have to have the conversation, we have to have the tough conversation, we have to talk about the n-word and we have to talk about why white men are so privileged in this country.”
JAY-Z said Trump’s attack on things like civil rights, communities of color, and women’s rights will result in more people heading to the ballot box in the next election.
“I think it takes people like you speaking out, and especially all the young people across the country, to say, ‘Nah, this ain’t right, I don’t feel like this. I don’t represent what he represents, and I’m gonna change that.’ I believe that it’s gonna get more young people more active than ever. I think we’ll see record-breaking numbers next election. I think we’ll break every record.”
Though the rapper has stayed away from social media, he’s been speaking his mind about the issues facing Black Americans, from police brutality to economic empowerment. Last year, he penned an op-ed for the New York Times about mass incarceration, and in the past, he’s donated over $1 million to Black Lives Matter-related causes. Additionally, JAY-Z is using his art to affect change by producing socially conscious film and TV content.
Watch JAY-Z’s entire conversation with David Letterman on Netflix.
