Unpacking Sexyy Red voting for Kamala Harris after praising Trump
In a major social media endorsement of Kamala Harris, hip-hop star Sexyy Red announced on Friday that she voted for the Democratic presidential nominee.
During early voting in Missouri, the St. Louis rapper posted photos of herself sporting “I Voted!” stickers as she posed in front of a Black SUV, presumably after casting her ballot.
“I just voted!!! Don’t tell us what to do with our coochies!! #Kamala4President,” captioned the musician, whose real name is Janae Nierah Wherry.
The announcement may come as a surprise to many, as Sexyy Red had previously expressed support for Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.
During an interview in October 2023, the 26-year-old star said, “I like Trump … they support him in the hood.”
I just voted!!! Don’t tell us what to do with our coochies!! #Kamala4President pic.twitter.com/5rvpa6HzJ8
— Sexyy Red (@SexyyRed314_) November 1, 2024
“At first, I don’t think people was f–king with him … they thought he was racist, saying little s–t, you know, against women,” Sexyy Red told “This Past Weekend” podcast. “But once he started getting Black people out of jail and giving people their free money? Oh, baby, we love Trump. We need to get him back in office.”
The rapper also expressed her admiration for Trump by rebranding his “Make America Great Again” slogan as her own — “Make America Sexyy Again.” The MC also displayed a MAGA-like cap while performing at the 2024 Roots Picnic.
Seemingly after a backlash, Sexyy Red later clarified that she had not officially endorsed Trump or any political candidate.
With only three days until Election Day, behind the scenes, Harris-Walz campaign staff and surrogates celebrated Sexyy Red’s announcement that she voted for Kamala Harris.
“First of all, get it Sexyy! Second of all, I think this shows how the VP’s closing message is resonating with late deciders,” Reecie Colbert, political commentator, told theGrio.
The host of Sirius XM’s “The Reecie Colbert Show” added, “Her economic message and the fact that MAGA is all in on stripping women’s rights is breaking through.”
Markus Batchelor, national political director at People For the American Way, told theGrio, “It’s all hands on deck to make every voice heard. I’m proud that artists connected to the culture are using their voice for good ahead of a critical election.”
Batchelor continued, “The VP’s closing message is clearly resonating among the broad coalition we must get committed before the clock runs out on November 5.” He added, “Kamala Harris has run one of the shortest presidential campaigns in American political history and has remarkably managed to string together a broad coalition of Americans ready to turn the page — even those who might have been skeptical at the outset. It bodes well for Tuesday’s results.”
Sexyy Red’s change of heart on Trump could signal a breakthrough for Vice President Harris, who has been crisscrossing the country in the final weeks and days to reach undecided and non-voters. Young voters of color and young Black men have been a particular worry for the Harris campaign, though recent polling shows the Democratic nominee has managed to close some gaps.
Kamala Harris has especially relied on her economic proposals to sway key voters. These include tax credits for middle-class families, subsidies for first-time homebuyers, forgivable loans for small business owners and a federal ban on corporate price gouging to bring down grocery prices.
During an interview for ex-NFL star Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, the vice president debunked misconceptions about the so-called “stimmy” checks — previously referenced by Sexyy Red — that Americans received during Trump’s time in office during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Really, Congress wrote those checks. But then Donald Trump, unlike any president before or after, decided he was going to put his name on those checks,” said Harris, who noted Trump initially opposed the stimulus checks.
Harris’ other major selling point has been the threat of a national abortion ban if Donald Trump returned to the White House. During a major campaign rally in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday — attended by more than 75,000 people — the vice president focused much of her policy messages on the economy and reproductive rights.
“[Trump] would ban abortion nationwide, restrict access to birth control, and put IVF treatments at risk and force states to monitor women’s pregnancies,” warned Harris. “I’ve lived the promise of America, and I see the promise of America in all of you … I see it in the women who refuse to accept a future without reproductive freedom and the men who support them.”
Evidenced by Sexyy Red’s glowing endorsement of Harris to her millions of fans, Harris’ message may just be landing with the voters.