opinion
Rapper Fat Joe has spoken out to defend himself after purchasing Donald Trump's new sneakers despite not being a fan of the former president.
Fat Joe buys Trump sneakers
“Why? If you really collect art, do you really know what Basquiat was interested in?” Fat Joe, 53, asked in a video posted on social media. “Do you know what Andy Warhol was interested in?” Any of these artists I was with. You love art, so you get it. “I think they separate the art from the person.”
“Now, I'm a sneaker collector,” he continued. “I had to get my hands on the Trump family. It doesn't matter…listen, I have thousands of pairs of sneakers. When everyone turned on Kanye, I went out and bought two of the most unique Kanye products ever…I have to get my hands on them.
“Again, I'm not a Trump supporter. I don't like Trump. I'm not voting for him. Not now, not ever,” Fat Joe concluded. “But I'm a sneaker collector in the art. So, I had to find these things.”
RELATED: LeBron James takes a shot at Trump with 'Equality' sneakers.
Trump launches new sneakers
This came after Trump launched his new Never Surrender sneakers, which retail for $399, at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia on February 17.
“A lot of emotion. There's a lot of emotion in this room,” Trump said as he took to the stage at the event. “They have lines going all over the block. “They've never seen anything like this before.”
“I just want to tell you, you know, I've wanted to do this for a long time. I have some great people working with me on things and they've got this done,” Trump continued. “This is something I've been talking about for 12 or 13 years and I think it's going to work.” “Great success.”
Trump went on to say that “influencers” were “very positive” about the new sneakers, which are gold-colored high-tops that prominently feature the letter “T” and American flags.
“They love it, and they love what we did,” Trump said as he showed the shoe to the crowd. “This is the real deal.”
After calling on the crowd to vote, Trump promised that he would “change this country fast” as the crowd began chanting “USA, USA!”
Liberals were of course furious that Trump was allowed to speak at Sneaker Con, and event organizers were quickly forced to issue a statement to defend themselves.
“Sneaker Con’s mission is to support and promote sneaker culture through our live events and digital platforms around the world,” they said. “We are grateful and appreciative of the sneaker community, and we appreciate the individuals who generate genuine sneaker awareness and engagement towards our community. #sneakercon.”
RELATED: Athletic shoe company Reebok attacked Donald Trump over his comments about the French president's wife
Fat Joe's anti-Trump views
Despite purchasing Trump sneakers, Fat Joe has always been an outspoken critic of the former president.
“Donald Trump, as you already know,” Fat Joe told MSNBC when Trump was running for president in 2016. “We cannot have this man in office.”
Fat Joe admitted that he liked Trump at first, but he quickly changed his tune.
“What I like about Donald Trump is that he's not bought by lobbyists,” he said. He put in his own money and financed his election campaign himself. This means that he is not a puppet in anyone’s hands.”
He added, “I would have loved him if he hadn't been so disrespectful to Latinos and blacks.” “I wish we had more diversity. I don’t buy into any politician right now.”
Four years later, Fat Joe is campaigning against Trump, even going on MSNBC to sing him goodbye after the 2020 election.
It's easy to see why many were shocked that Fat Joe bought Trump's shoes, but it looks like he couldn't resist! As Fat Joe does so, hopefully he will reconsider his stance on Trump politics as we head into the presidential election this year.
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