Chappell Roan clarifies presidential election stance after backlash

Chappell Roan took to TikTok to clarify a set of widely misconstrued recent comments that landed her in hot political water.

“I have encouraged people to use critical thinking skills to learn about what they’re voting for, learn about who they’re voting for, and ask questions, and it’s being completely taken out of context, per usual,” the singer said in a Sept. 24 video posted to the social platform.

Roan continued, “hear from my mouth if you’re still wondering: No, I’m not voting for Trump, and yes, I will always question those in power, and those making decisions over other people. I will stand up for what’s right and what I believe in. It’s always at the forefront of my project, and I’m sorry that you fell for the clickbait.”

The clarification stemmed from an interview Roan gave to The Guardian on Sept. 20, in which the “Good Luck, Babe!” professed to having “so many issues with our government in every way.” Because there are “so many things that I would want to change” about the current state of government, Roan claimed she doesn’t “feel pressured to endorse someone. There’s problems on both sides,” she continued, “I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote — vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city.”

Roan closed her political comments by naming “trans rights” as the top issue she wants to see on voters’ minds this year, stating, “They cannot have cis people making decisions for trans people, period.”

In the days that followed, a miasma of both uninformed and bad-faith interpretations of Roan’s decontextualized comments opened up online, leading some to condemn the artist for perceived “both sides-ism” ahead of the 2024 face-off between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

In her TikTok, Roan re-read “the full quote that a lot of people are just not reading.” She explained that, while many misinterpreted her comments as advocating for a kind of passive political neutrality, Roan believes “it’s important for me to question authority, and question world leaders, and question myself. Question my algorithm,” she continued, “Question if some person that tweeted something about something else is even true. It’s important to question, because that’s how I think we move forward.”

Roan has been outspoken about her political convictions and insistent that fans and viewers respect the full context of her comments since her remarkable rise to fame earlier this year.

In August, Roan posted a lengthy statement to her Instagram which read, in part, “I’ve been in too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions, and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you s—… I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it.”

At the MTV Video Music Awards in September, Roan responded to a photographer who could be heard yelling “shut the f— up” in her vicinity, “You shut the f— up. Don’t. Not me, bitch.” That same night, she dedicated her Best New Artist award to “the queer and trans people that fuel pop, to the gays who dedicate my songs to someone they love or hate,” and to “all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now — I see you, I understand you, because I’m one of you.”

On TikTok, Roan explained that “this is my third election voting and the world is changing so rapidly, and I want to be part of the generation that changes things for good, because we need it.” In closing, Roan imparted her clearest, most unambiguous message yet: “Actions speak louder than words, and actions speak louder than an endorsement.”