"Great how people spin narratives": Nelly shuts down "pro-Donald" claims after attending Trump's inaugural ball

Nelly addressed the controversy surrounding his alleged "pro-Trump" stance during a recent appearance with his wife, Ashanti, on Hot 97's Ebro In the Morning show. The speculation started when the Ride Wit Me rapper performed at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony at the Liberty Hall earlier this year. Veterans like Jason Aldean and The Village People also performed at the event.

During the conversation with host Ebro Darden, Nelly was asked about his rumored "pro-Trump stance." The rapper was quick to clarify, explaining that his participation was based on "respect" for the office.

“See, this is what I’m saying. Where did you get pro-Donald? What you had was respect for office.”

He further continued:

"It’s great how people spin narratives to things that I think best fit whatever they’re against. You know what I’m saying? Instead of giving a brother the exact fundamental of what he did, what he said. Nobody’s doing that anymore."

The St. Louis rapper also emphasized that he had never endorsed any president. He substantiated his assertion by highlighting that he had also performed for Kamala Harris at a 2024 event. However, people allegedly "never brought it up."

“It doesn’t mean you agree with that president [...] I never endorsed any president. I’ve never done that a day in my life. What I did say is that I’m a military brat. I love our men and women that service this country. I’ve done things all around this country. I’ve entertained the troops. Nobody brings that up. I’ve stayed man, you know, a commitment in my community, and I have a beautiful Black family,” concluded the rapper.

This isn't the first time Nelly has defended his decision to perform at Donald Trump's inaugural ball. The rapper has spoken about it in several other interviews since the January 20, 2025, event.

Read More: "He's not thinking about the aftermath that will come"— Internet reacts as Nelly defends his decision to perform at Trump's inauguration

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When Nelly reportedly defended his performance at Trump's inaugural event and allegedly referenced Kamala Harris

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Nelly recently defended his decision to perform at Trump's inauguration ceremony and reportedly made comments that some interpreted as indirect references to Kamala Harris. On June 28, he took to the comment section of a post by The Shade Room to address his love for the country and cleared his stance on the "pro-Trump" conjecture.

“I reiterate, I did not campaign for anyone. I do not tell people who to vote for. I respect and love our country from top to bottom good and bad… and I am very aware that it’s a lot of things in this country that we need to work on the right is too far right and the left is too far left," wrote Nelly.

Nelly also stated that if he were ever contacted by the POTUS' office for any reason, his response would not be influenced by financial considerations or race. In the same comment, Nelly made remarks that some took as indirect criticism of Kamala Harris:

“Nothing to do with race but if you wanna make it about race, then let’s goooooooooooooo I find it very interesting. That’s so many of you would dump on the two black men that’s married to black women that has black children because the “ “ woman of color with the white husband and white kids. Didn’t win..!!”

He further added:

“Some of y’all have a problem with because the “prosecutor who has probably locked up more black men that we’ve helped woman of color with the white husband and white kids. Did not win the election.”

For the unversed, Kamala Harris is a Hastings College of Law graduate who began her law career in the office of the district attorney of Alameda County. In 2010, she was elected attorney general of California.

Although Nelly did not directly name Kamala Harris, his comments were widely interpreted online as a reference to her background and public image. The discussion surrounding his remarks sparked considerable debate across social media platforms.

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Read More: “I do not tell people who to vote for” — Nelly doubles down on his performance at Donald Trump inauguration event

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Edited by Sriparna Barui