Harris vs Trump: Where Country Superstars Line Up

As the United States presidential election rapidly approaches, divisions are rising, including in the country music scene.

The election is less than a month away, set to take place on Tuesday, 5 November. Former President Donald Trump is leading the Republican nomination, while Kamala Harris—Joe Biden's vice president—is running as the Democratic leader.

It’s lazy to assume that all country music artists hold the same beliefs, all support the same candidate, or that there’s a generational divide. The truth is that artists’ relationships with politics are complicated, just like ours.

The aim of this piece isn’t to pit artists, parties, or beliefs against each other but simply to outline where people stand ahead of the 2024 US Presidential Election. So, without further ado, here’s a list of artists in the country music scene and who they’re endorsing for this year’s election.

PRO-TRUMP

Billy Ray Cyrus

Billy Ray’s daughter, Miley Cyrus, may be endorsing Kamala Harris, but her father certainly is not.

Two months ago, Billy Ray took to social media to share a picture of himself alongside Donald Trump at an event, captioning the post: “I stand here with former U.S. President Donald J. Trump as a proud AMERICAN. Mr. Trump is the 6th U.S. President I’ve met and I felt like Mr. Corey Comperatore was right there with us.

“Some stood through for the red, white and blue

And some had to fall.

Some Gave All”

Jason Aldean

A vocal Trump supporter, Jason Aldean wrote after the July 2024 assassination attempt on the former President:

This is what a Warrior looks like! This is MY guy 🇺🇸. @realdonaldtrump we are thinking about u and praying for you and your family. God has a bigger plan for you my friend and I think we all know what that is by now. My heart goes out to the victims families as well. They are the ones left to pick up the pieces of this cowardly act.

This week, Aldean pledged $500,000 for Hurricane Helene relief, joining over $7 million raised in a GoFundMe campaign launched by Donald Trump.

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A post shared by Jason Aldean (@jasonaldean)

Travis Tritt

Like Jason Aldean, Travis Tritt voiced his support for Donald Trump following the attempted assassination earlier this year. He wrote:

Praying for President Trump after someone shot at him and apparently hit his right ear at his rally in Pennsylvania. We demand that this perpetrator be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Many of us have been predicting that the radical left would try to kill Trump before the election because they cannot defeat him any other way. This kind of attack cannot be ignored. #MAGA

In another post, Tritt declared Trump to be “my President.”

Brian Kelley

In August, Brian Kelley (a former member of Florida Georgia Line) shared the song, Make America Great Again (aka MAGA). Donald Trump described the song as “great” and “the real deal.”

On his Instagram, Kelley has numerous pictures of himself holding a pro-Trump flag and posted an image in solidarity with the former President after the assassination attempt.

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A post shared by Brian Kelley (@briankelley)

PRO-HARRIS

The Chicks

In August, The Chicks—known for their progressive political beliefs that got them blacklisted from the industry in the early 2000s—performed the Star Spangled Banner at the Democratic National Convention (they also performed at the DNC for Joe Biden four years earlier). Hours before their performance, they wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Use your voice. Use your vote.”

Jason Isbell

Last weekend, Jason Isbell teamed up with R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe for a performance of his own and R.E.M. classics at a Kamala Harris rally. He also performed at the DNC and has supported Harris on social media.

Maren Morris

Another performer at the DNC, Maren Morris has been vocally anti-Trump in recent years, going so far as to call Jason Aldean’s wife, Brittany, “Insurrection Barbie.” In August, the singer vowed to support Kamala Harris in “any way [she] can.”

Mickey Guyton

As well as performing at the DNC, Mickey Guyton said about the impact of Harris campaigning for President (per CNN):

“It’s so inspiring to see someone who is not only exceptionally smart, but also happens to look like me, running for the highest office in our country. She represents so much to so many and I just think it’s incredible. I never thought I would see a woman be president in my lifetime and now it seems attainable.”

She added, “I’m elated, and it means the world to me to see this AKA (Alpha Kappa Alpha member), biracial lawyer who attended a HBCU thriving and bringing so much hope to this country.”