For the past decade, Kid Rock has bet everything on Donald Trump.
What started in early 2016 with the country rocker simply finding the then-presidential candidate and his political style “cool” has now evolved into a full-blown MAGA spokesperson role. Ritchie has secured music gigs in the Republican environment, sits next to Trump at football games and UFC fights and receives invitations to the White House.
Most recently, Kid Rock, real name Bob Ritchie, said he believed the government showed him special appreciation by allowing two military helicopters to fly over his home in Nashville. “It was a form of respect that no award or record sales could ever have given me,” Ritchie told Nashville news station WKRN on Monday.
MAGA moments at a glance
From headlining Turning Point USA’s alternative Super Bowl halftime show to playing golf with Trump in 2019, here are some of Ritchie’s biggest MAGA moments.
Personal Apache visit
Over the weekend, Ritchie’s longstanding admiration for Trump appeared to be rewarded: Army helicopters circled over his Nashville mansion, which is modeled on the White House.
The singer bragged on social media, uploading a video of himself greeting the Apache helicopters with fist pumps as one hovered just feet from his pool deck. “This is a form of respect that the stupid governor of California will never know,” he wrote on Instagram, taking a dig at Gavin Newsom. “God bless America and all who have sacrificed the ultimate to defend it.”
The incident led to the Army suspending the crew of the helicopters. Ritchie had previously said he believed the pilots had done nothing wrong. “I think they’ll figure it out — my buddy is the commander in chief,” he told WKRN.
Kid Rock was into Trump in 2016
Ritchie’s love affair with Trump and the MAGA movement apparently began before Trump’s first term in office: Of all the candidates in the 2016 presidential election – Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders and Marco Rubio – he was the most pro-Trump candidate.
Ritchie reasoned that Trump’s entrepreneurial background gave him an edge over traditional Republican and Democratic politicians. He also found Trump’s antics simply amusing. “My opinion: Let the damn businessman run the country like a damn business,” Ritchie told Rolling Stone in February 2016. “And his campaign is entertaining as hell.”
MAGA’s Favorite Artist
While other artists have publicly distanced themselves from Trump and his administration — demanding that their songs be removed from the White House’s provocative social media posts — Ritchie has secured lucrative gigs as one of the few artists who have openly embraced MAGA.
In February, Turning Point USA hired Ritchie to headline its “All-American Halftime Show,” the counter-program to the Super Bowl halftime show with Bad Bunny. (Ritchie’s performance was panned, prompting the singer to defend himself against playback allegations.)
Shortly before Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, Ritchie appeared at Trump’s victory rally wearing a Make America Great Again hat. A year earlier, he had performed the role of a WWE host at the Republican National Convention and heated up the crowd before Trump gave the convention’s closing speech.
“What’s up, America?” Ritchie shouted into the microphone. “If you’re ready for President Trump to take the stage, I need everyone to stand up. I need everyone to pump their fists in the air! Now join in, say ‘Fight, fight’!”
Oval Office, UFC and golf with “Beast” Trump
Beyond the laudatory words about Trump — whom he describes as “one of my best friends” and “my buddy” — Ritchie’s friendship with Trump is no idle phrase: He has spent plenty of time in person with the president.
In 2019, Ritchie was photographed golfing with Trump at his club in West Palm Beach. “Thank you to POTUS for inviting me and to EVERYONE at Trump International for being so wonderful,” he wrote on Instagram. “What a great man, so grounded and so much fun!! KEEP AMERICA GREAT!!”
During Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Ritchie accompanied the businessman-turned-politician to a college football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs. Shortly after Trump’s 2024 election victory, Ritchie and Elon Musk were photographed side by side with Trump at the UFC event at Madison Square Garden. And at the inauguration reception in January 2025, the former rapper smoked cigars and drank beer.
Ritchie also stopped by the White House — including last March, when he stood next to Trump in an absurdly rhinestone-studded suit as he signed an executive order aimed at curbing the resale of tickets by scalpers.
“No matter what your political views are – [jeder] “I know this is a real problem,” Ritchie said when Trump gave him the floor. “You buy a ticket for $100, and when you get to the checkout it’s $170… But more importantly, these bots – they come in and grab all the good tickets to the shows you want to go to. Then they immediately put them back on sale, sometimes at a 500 percent markup. The artists don’t see a dime.”
Trump’s video message to kid rock fans
Ritchie remained a loyal Trump supporter in 2022 – two years after Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden – so much so that he opened a concert in April of that year with a video message from the then-ex-president.
“Hello everyone. I love you all,” Trump said to the crowd in the pre-recorded video. “I know you’re having a great time at the Kid Rock concert tonight. He’s honestly incredible. Everyone here is truly the backbone of our great country. Hard-working, God-fearing rock ‘n’ roll patriots. Bob is truly one of the greatest entertainers of our time. Not the best golfer, his golf game could use some work, but a great, great entertainer – and that’s why you’re here. Let’s all continue to be there for each other, fight for our God-given freedoms and above all: Let’s make America rock again.”
