Nicky Jam ‘Renounces’ His Support for Donald Trump: ‘Puerto Rico Must Be Respected’
Nicky Jam is no longer supporting Donald Trump for president, the reggaetón hitmaker announced on Wednesday (Oct. 30) in a video he uploaded to his Instagram page.
The message comes a month after the Massachusetts-born singer-songwriter had endorsed the Republican candidate and even spoke at one of his rallies in Las Vegas back in September. “We need you. We need you back, right? We need you to be the president,” the “El Perdón” singer said then.
More from Billboard
Now, he’s taking it back and “renouncing” any support of Trump.
“Normally I’m not the type of person to respond to these types of things,” Nicky Jam said in his video, speaking in Spanish. “The reason I had supported Donald Trump was because I thought he was the best [option] for the economy in the United States where many Latin and immigrants live, and many of them are suffering because of the economy. And him being a businessman, I thought he was the best movement. I never thought in my life that, a month later, a comedian would come and criticize my country and speak badly about my country. And, because of that, I renounce any support of Donald Trump and removing myself from any political situation. Puerto Rico must be respected.”
Nicky Jam, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was among a few reggaetón acts who had endorsed Trump, including Anuel AA and Justin Quiles. Following Jam’s endorsement of Trump, Mexican rock band Maná announced they were removing its 2016 reimagining of “De Pies a Cabeza,” a collab with Jam, from streaming services explaining that Maná didn’t “work with racists.”
On Sunday (Oct. 27), comedian and podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” at a Donald Trump rally in Madison Square Garden. Immediately after those remarks, Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Luis Fonsi, among a number of other Puerto Rican artists, took to social media to amplify Vice President Kamala Harris’ plan for Puerto Rico.
See Nicky Jam’s video below:
Best of Billboard
Sign up for Billboard's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.