Fans Revisit Eminem Whipping Up Crowd With Explosive Anti-Trump Chant
Eminem’s political stances have shifted over time, but he’s always leaned toward social commentary — even if his earlier career wasn’t overtly supportive of a certain side. Recent years have pushed many Americans, including celebrities, to take a public stand. Eminem is no different. The 52-year-old once paused a 2017 concert to lead the crowd in a polarizing chant. Let’s look at Eminem’s political statements as fans revisit the moment.
Eminem in the early 2000s Bush Era
Eminem, aka Marshall Mathers, began making political statements during George W. Bush’s presidency. In 2004, he released “Mosh,” a protest song and video aimed at Bush’s handling of the Iraq War. The video depicted disenfranchised Americans rallying against Bush and heading to the polls. The Detroit native was openly critical of Bush’s policies, portraying himself as anti-establishment and distrustful of authority — nothing new for the “Lose Yourself” rapper.
Eminem was more politically reserved in the late 2000s to early 2010s
During Barack Obama’s presidency, Eminem was quieter politically in his music. His focus shifted more toward personal struggles, addiction, and his career comeback. Still, he occasionally criticized broader societal issues involving poverty, corruption, and violence, but not with the same direct political edge as during the Bush era.
Eminem finds a political foe in Donald Trump
Eminem began revisiting his political activism in 2016. In the lead-up to Trump’s election, he released “Campaign Speech,” an 8-minute freestyle where he skewered Trump, calling him a dangerous figure and mocking his policies. Then, at the 2017 BET Hip-Hop Awards, Eminem delivered his now-iconic rap, “The Storm,” a blistering takedown of Trump. Throughout the performance, Eminem called out Trump for racism, immigration policies, disrespect toward veterans, and divisive rhetoric. He famously told fans they had to choose: him or Trump, before leading the crowd in a “F*** Trump” chant.
Now, as political tensions escalate, fans on Reddit are revisiting the iconic freestyle. A video uploaded to the forum received over 32,000 upvotes. One user commented, “Honestly, I’m glad to hear this. I would hope he wouldn’t agree with Trump’s actions or policies but again you never know these days.” Another wrote, “Em has quite a few anti-Trump lyrics. He even talks about losing fans over his politics and feels bad for those people who Trump tricked. Em is one of the real ones who hasn’t lost sight of where they came from. Real humble s***.”
The year after Eminem’s viral rap at the BET Awards, he released his ninth studio album, Revival, where he doubles down on his anti-Trump stance. Songs like “Like Home” attacked the 47th president, framing Trump as an incompetent leader. With “Untouchable,” Eminem addresses racism and police brutality, criticizing the conservative philosophy of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.” In “Nowhere Fast,” he raps about gun violence in America, addressing the National Rifle Association by name in an extended version.
Eminem admitted to Billboard that he knew it was a risk to take such a strong stance with Revival. He explained, “At the end of the day, if I did lose half my fan base, then so be it, because I feel like I stood up for what was right and I’m on the right side of this. I don’t see how somebody could be middle class, busting their ass every single day, paycheck to paycheck, who thinks that that f***ing billionaire is gonna help you.”
In 2020, Eminem released Music to Be Murdered By as he addressed Trump and MAGA culture on Side B. Then, in 2024, fans enjoyed a viral moment where Eminem introduced former President Barack Obama at Kamala Harris’s rally in Detroit. Without saying Trump’s name, he warned his hometown that a new administration might retaliate against those who oppose him.
