During a recent appearance on Real Music With Gary Stuckey, Michael Sweet of Stryper discussed the backlash he faced for his support of Donald Trump. He began by highlighting the importance of respect in collaborations with musicians who hold different opinions, acknowledging his imperfections and the occasional misunderstandings that arise:
“I see disrespect towards Christians. I see Christians disrespect non-believers. I see Republicans disrespect Democrats, Democrats disrespect Republicans. I’m a Republican. I voted for [Donald] Trump first time around. I don’t know who I’m voting for this time around. But when I say publicly, if someone asks me, ‘Who’d you vote for?’ I’m not gonna sit there and fidget and lie.”
In the latter part of the conversation, Sweet addressed the reaction from some of his friends to his public support for Trump:
“I’m not a believer in you can’t mix politics with music. That’s just stupid. It’s part of your life. Talk about that. Be open about it. What are you so afraid of? And I said, ‘Yeah, I voted for Trump,’ and boy, I took a beating for that — some of my friends. Some of my friends were, like, ‘Oh, what a moron. He’s a Trumptard,’ or whatever these disrespectful words are that you can use that you’ve heard.”
Reflecting on the backlash, Sweet expressed his surprise and concern about the increased level of disrespect in society:
“That’s mindblowing to me, man. That’s why we have so many issues in our world. Everyone talks about peace and a better world being politically correct, and being respectful of everybody, but yet people are more disrespectful now than they’ve ever been. It’s insane.”
Sweet clarified his reasons for endorsing Trump, emphasizing his frustration with politicians and his belief that Trump, as a non-politician, could bring about positive change:
“I have put it out there already that I voted for Donald Trump four years ago. I voted for him because I had really become fed up with politicians. I feel like most, if not all, politicians are there to tell us what we want to hear so they can get into office, and once they get there they don’t deliver. So, when Donald Trump came around, I thought, okay, this guy is not a politician and he’s going to be different, and that’s why I voted for him.”
