Waka Flocka Flame Speaks Out After Controversial Trump Remark

Waka Flocka Flame has issued a fresh statement on social media, after his previous post in support of former President Donald Trump divided fans.

The rapper, whose given name is Juaquin James Malphurs, sparked debate on Monday, when he took to X, formerly Twitter, to express his support for Trump’s bid for a second term in the White House.

“TRUMP2024,” the “No Hands” hitmaker wrote in a post that, as of press time, has been viewed more than 3.6 million times.

While the post won the support of a number of conservatives, including Republican congressional candidate for Florida’s 24th district Lavern Spicer and political activist Ryan Fournier, it also drew criticism from many detractors.

Seemingly undeterred by the naysayers, the musician reiterated his support for the one-term president when he switched out his profile picture on the social media platform to one that showed him smiling and posing alongside Trump.

In between the posts in which he declared his political allegiance, Waka Flocka Flame otherwise veered away from the subject, mostly discussing gaming.

But after his pro-Trump posts sparked continued discussion, the star returned to the platform on Tuesday to share a statement regarding politics.

“I’m an not a politician and i don’t wanna talk politics,” he wrote. “i only answer to the people that made me and that’s my FANS aka THE PEOPLE… i love y’all with every bone in my body man Squaddd.”

Waka Flocka Flame’s statements regarding Trump show a complete turnaround. In April 2015, as the former The Apprentice star was in the midst of his first presidential campaign, the rapper wrote on X: “F*** Donald J. Trump.”

Resurfaced footage of an undated SiriusXM interview, seemingly conducted during Trump’s run for the 2016 election, shows the musician explaining his stance.

“I’m not voting for Donald Trump because he’s for money,” Waka Flocka Flame told his interviewer. “In a time like this, we need somebody that’s for the people, and Trump is definitely not for the people.”

Days before Trump’s January 2017 inauguration, Waka Flocka Flame made his feelings known once again, when he paused a performance in Georgia to ask an attendee to hand him their jersey that was emblazoned with the Republican’s name.

The hip-hop star then lowered his pants and proceeded to wipe his bare buttocks with the jersey before dramatically throwing it to the ground.

“F*** Donald Trump,” he yelled into the microphone as the crowd cheered.

While it’s not clear exactly when Waka Flocka Flame’s opinion of Trump changed, the rapper hinted in 2020 that he was more fit for presidency than his predecessor, President Barack Obama.

At the time, DJ Akademiks posted a video of a speech Obama gave in support of current President Joe Biden. In the comments section, one of Akademiks’ followers wrote: “It’s people who think Trump is a better President than Obama,” alongside a clown emoji, to which Flocka replied, “Guess I’m a clown,” with a laughing emoji.

Waka Flocka Flame also publicly expressed gratitude to Trump in April 2021, after he received a lifetime achievement award in his hometown of Atlanta.

At the time, he had been recognized for his work as a volunteer with Daughter of Destiny Outreach, a nonprofit that supports homeless women whose lives have been impacted by a number of factors, including domestic violence and mental illness.

After his pastor, Apostle Dr. Bridget C. Outlaw, placed the medal around his neck and presented him with a certificate, video footage showed the star saying, in part: “I just want to thank President Trump for recognizing me.”

He also took to Instagram to share an image of himself posing alongside Outlaw, adding a caption that concluded: “S/O [shout out] to my president!!!”