During a recent appearance with his wife Ashanti on Hot 97's Ebro In The Morning, Nelly addressed the controversy surrounding his decision to perform at the Liberty Ball. The Liberty Ball was a first-time event held the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration in January, and featured additional performances from Jason Aldean and The Village People, among others.
When host Ebro Darden asked if Nelly was still on his “pro-Donald Trump" stance, Nelly quickly refuted that assertion. “See, this is what I’m saying. Where did you get pro-Donald?” he said. “What you had was respect for office.”
"It’s great how people spin narratives to things that I think best fit whatever they’re against. You know what I’m saying?" He continued. "Instead of giving a brother the exact fundamental of what he did, what he said. Nobody’s doing that anymore."
Nelly's Liberty Ball announcement caused plenty of backlash and disappointment. The St. Louis rapper responded to the backlash partly by saying he was doing so because he had “respect” for the office. “I’m not doing this for money, I’m doing this because it’s an honor. I respect the office. It doesn’t matter who is in office," he said at the time.
Nelly Donald Trump
While on Ebro's show, he also mentioned that he's never endorsed a president. He cited a performance at a Kamala Harris event in 2024 that did not receive the same level of scrutiny. “At that time, nobody ever brought it up,” he said.
“It was truly an honor, because ain’t no other president ever asked me to do anything,” he said later in the interview. “It doesn’t mean you agree with that president [...] I never endorsed any president. I’ve never done that a day in my life. What I did say is that I’m a military brat. I love our men and women that service this country. I’ve done things all around this country. I’ve entertained the troops. Nobody brings that up. I’ve stayed man, you know, a commitment in my community, and I have a beautiful Black family.”
On Instagram, he reiterated his community efforts, but also threw in a shot at Harris in the process, referring to her history as a prosecutor. Time will tell as to how fans react to these latest comments, but the early returns are not looking too promising, as one of the top comments on that post called him a "sellout."
