Nirvana fans were left in a moral quagmire yesterday after bassist Krist Novoselic shared a post, praising Donald Trump’s response to the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the murder of unarmed African American man George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
On June 1st, Trump took part in a press conference that saw him acknowledge that he would be mobilising the US military to be deployed against protestors, declaring himself a “law and order President”.
This statement was universally condemned by most. However, Krist Novoselic shared a lengthy post on Facebook vocalising his admiration for Trump’s “strong and direct” tone.
“Wow!!! I know many of you can’t stand him, however, Trump knocked it out of the park with this speech,” Novoselic wrote.
“Social media and television are looping images of societal breakdown. I agree, the president should not be sending troops into states – and he legally might not be able to anyway – nevertheless, his tone in this speech is strong and direct.”
He continued, “Most Americans want peace in their communities and President Trump spoke to this desire. Never mind the legal details that few understand – Trump said he would stop the violence and this speaks to many.”
The comments incited backlash, and Novoselic took to Facebook to clarify the intentions behind the post.
“To clarify a few things: As an avowed independent, I don’t endorse a major party or candidate,” he wrote. “And it feels insane to have to say this, but I don’t support fascism, and I don’t support an authoritarian state.
“I believe in a civilized society and that we all have to work toward that. Love and thanks to anyone who cares to read this.”
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2676000816060108&id=100009506472664
Novoselic was a dedicated supporter of the Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson during the 2016 US election. Acknowledging that he would neither vote for Trump or Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
