Florida Governor and 2024 presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis has voiced his support for country music artist Jason Aldean following the backlash against Aldean's song and accompanying music video, "Try That in a Small Town." In a recent interview on Fox & Friends, DeSantis, joined by his wife Casey, criticized what he perceives as excessive censorship and cancel culture in the United States.
DeSantis expressed his belief that the controversy surrounding Aldean's song highlights a concerning trend of stifling free speech. He questioned the rationale behind censoring such content and called for a return to a society that embraces open discourse and truth. He connected the incident to broader concerns about cancel culture, Big Tech censorship, and government oversight of information.
The controversy stems from accusations that Aldean's song contains racial undertones and promotes violence. The music video, which features footage of protests and riots, was removed from CMT. Aldean has vehemently denied these allegations, stating that the song is not about race and the video clips used are from real news footage. He maintains that the song's message is about community and self-protection.
Aldean's wife, Brittany Aldean, has also publicly supported her husband, emphasizing the importance of speaking the truth. The controversy has sparked widespread debate about freedom of expression, artistic interpretation, and the role of political commentary in music.
Some of the lyrics in question include: "Yeah, ya think you're tough? Well, try that in a small town, see how far ya make it down the road. Around here, we take care of our own, you cross that line, it won't take long for you to find out, I recommend you don't."
