A prominent conservative governor is defending a country music star after his new video became the target of leftist vitriol.
On Wednesday, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem posted a video on Instagram in support of Jason Aldean, who has found himself on the receiving end of leftist hate over the video to his song “Try That in a Small Town.”
The video depicts violence in big cities, including the riots that ravaged many of them in the summer of 2020 following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
In the song, Aldean warns against bringing those kinds of actions to small-town America, where people will fight back.
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
The video, released Friday, was quickly condemned by the woke hate mob, which claimed it promoted “racism” and “violence.” In response, CMT pulled the song and the video from their lineup.
But while the cultural establishment seems intent on tearing down Aldean, conservatives have rallied behind him, saying the song expresses how they feel.
One of those conservatives is Noem, who shared her thoughts on social media Wednesday.
She noted she had praised the song — which she said was co-written by her friend Neil Thrasher — upon its release in May.
“I am shocked by what I’m seeing in this country with people attempting to cancel this song and cancel Jason and his beliefs,” the governor said in a Twitter video.
“I think a lot of times people that go out and fight every day on these important issues and have an opinion and remember the freedom and liberty that this country was founded on get persecuted for it, and we’re seeing that right now with the Aldeans and the songwriters that worked so hard on this.”
Noem ended the video by expressing her support for the singer and making him an incredible offer.
“If you want to come to South Dakota, I’ll let you play anywhere. … If you want to come and sing on the governor’s residence front lawn, we’ll do it proudly,” she said.
Imagine that: a country music icon on the lawn of the governor’s residence singing a song expressing how millions of Americans feel about the state of their country.
What a strong message that would send.
Noem is right to say the attacks on Aldean are ridiculous. He is not promoting racism or violence against anyone. Quite the opposite, in fact: He is saying people in America are tired of leftist violence and want to be left in peace.
This is a message that resonates with millions of Americans, who are sick and tired of watching their cities destroyed by civil unrest and crime due to the lax enforcement of the laws by local authorities.
The leftists who dominate the music industry will always try to silence someone like Aldean who takes a stand that is in opposition to their worldview.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.