Donald Trump Defends Jason Aldean, Calls 'Small Town' 'Great New Song'

Former President Donald Trump has spoken out in the defense of Jason Aldean and his track, "Try That in a Small Town," calling it a "great new song."

Country star Aldean, 46, caused a stir when he released the music video for his track on Saturday. The song compares city life and small-town lifestyles, and includes the lyrics that if somebody "cross[es] that line," to "cuss out a cop, spit in his face" or "stomp on the flag and light it up," to "try that in a small town."

The lyrics continue: "See how far ya make it down the road/Around here, we take care of our own/You cross that line, it won't take long/ For you to find out, I recommend you don't/Try that in a small town."

Aldean also sings about a gun that his grandfather gave to him, adding that he doesn't want to give it up. "They say one day they're gonna round up/Well, that s*** might fly in the city, good luck," he sings on the track.

While it was recently announced that the track has hit number one on the U.S. iTunes chart, Country Music TV (CMT) pulled its music video from the channel.

Amid ensuing debate about the song, Trump, whom Aldean has publicly supported, weighed in with his thoughts in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"Jason Aldean is a fantastic guy who just came out with a great new song," the real estate mogul wrote. "Support Jason all the way. MAGA!!!"

Trump's statement comes after Aldean's music video sparked criticism from many for being filmed outside of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a white mob killed Henry Choate, a Black man, in 1927. The music video also shows riots and protests in different parts of the country.

On Tuesday, Billboard first reported that CMT had decided to pull the music video from its airways. A spokesperson for CMT confirmed to Newsweek that the music video is no longer on rotation on the channel but did not offer any further information as to why the decision was made.

Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, spoke out against the decision the following day, sharing the video in its entirety on Twitter as he wrote: "How on earth is this video controversial? Why would @cmttake it down? Support @Jason_Aldean and other artists who have the guts to tell the truth... watch it, download it, and push back against the bs."

Aldean—who grew up in Macon, Georgia, and Homestead, Florida, with populations of 157,346 and 80,737, respectively—responded to some of the criticism on Tuesday.

He tweeted: "In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM [Black Lives Matter] protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.

"There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it—and there isn't a single video clip that isn't real news footage—and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music—this one goes too far."

Aldean also wrote about performing in 2017 at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, where nearly 60 people were killed and hundreds more were injured during a mass shooting. At the time, his then-pregnant wife, Brittany Aldean, and about 40 members of his band and crew were present at the festival. Two of the crew's tour buses were shot at during the incident.

"As so many pointed out, I was present at Route 91—where so many lost their lives—and our community recently suffered another heartbreaking tragedy. NO ONE, including me, wants to continue to see senseless headlines or families ripped apart.

"'Try That In A Small Town,' for me, refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief. Because they were our neighbors, and that was above any differences.

"My political views have never been something I've hidden from, and I know that a lot of us in this Country don't agree on how we get back to a sense of normalcy where we go at least a day without a headline that keeps us up at night. But the desire for it to—that's what this song is about."

Months after the Route 91 tragedy, Aldean opened up about what had happened and how he felt an affinity with the victims of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed and 17 others injured.

"Unless anybody has witnessed anything like that or been a part of it, it's really hard for people to really understand where you're coming from on that stuff," he told the Associated Press in April 2018. "It's like the kids from the school in Florida, that shooting. I get it, man. I understand how they are feeling."

While Aldean shared in the interview how he had been gravely affected by the tragedy, the star cautiously approached the conversation around gun control, a hot-button topic that rises to prominence following each mass shooting in the U.S.

"It's a no-win situation," Aldean said of speaking out on the topic. "I think no matter what you say, whether you're for gun control or not, I mean, you're setting yourself up to be crucified in the public eye or in the media."

Aldean did say at the time that there were flaws in the system regarding gun ownership that needed addressing.

"It's too easy to get guns, first and foremost," he said. "When you can walk in somewhere and you can get one in five minutes, do a background check that takes five minutes, like how in-depth is that background check?

"Those are the issues I have. It's not necessarily the guns themselves or that I don't think people should have guns. I have a lot of them."

Expressing concern that mass shootings are often politicized, he added: "Nobody is looking at what the actual issue is and really how to come to an agreement and make a smart decision."

Update 7/20/23, 3:45 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.