As we’ve discussed, Trump’s group to put on celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary this July Fourth, Freedom 250, misrepresented themselves as nonpartisan (and not directly tied to Trump) in order to secure artists. Freedom 250 announced the lineup, artists were schooled by their friends/family/fans, and nearly every one of them swiftly dropped out. No one seems more excited about this exodus than the last remaining act: Robert Van Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice. He’s so happy for this 15 minutes of relevancy! Robert spent last week proudly declaring that he’ll play for anyone anywhere, and that he doesn’t let politics get in the way of a (paying) gig because he’s never voted in his life anyway! While that’s an ass-backwards model of patriotism to you and me, it’s playing to the Fox News crowd, where Van Winkle popped up on Kayleigh McEnany’s Saturday in America to continue to milk this moment for all he can:
“It’s crazy that all the attention is coming down on all this event and everything because I’m honored and just super proud,” noted Van Winkle. “My mom is proud and everybody I know is like, ‘This is awesome.’ And then there’s some people that are bailing out and all this stuff.
“And I’m like, ‘Why?’ You know, this will be the greatest concert on the planet. We’re turning 250 years. Let’s celebrate the country that we’re born and raised in,” he continued. “What’s wrong with being patriotic? And they said, ‘Oh, because Trump’s putting it on.’”
To recap, Trump launched mass deportations last year and enforced his immigration agenda to lethal results, overseen skyrocketing detentions of children and initiated an extremely unpopular war on Iran.
“I’m like, ‘So who throws a better party than Trump?’” said Van Winkle. “Man, I’ve been to a lot of them. That guy knows how to throw a real party and they’re classy, they’re great, they’re fun and just over the top — and amazing. So I’m like, ‘Even better.’ So I don’t get it.”
The event, to be held at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is being curated by Freedom 250, a self-described “non-partisan organization” that Trump created by executive order. He will also be holding an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in front of the White House.
Multiple artists who have dropped out of the concert series have said the event was presented to them as nonpartisan. Trump has since lashed out on his Truth Social platform, boasting he might replace these “Third Rate ‘Artists’” himself.
…On Saturday, Van Winkle argued that those opposing Trump and his concert series are “shaken up on their beliefs, politically,” and that enetertainers shouldn’t be “put on that kind of a pedestal,” suggesting his participation should not be viewed as an endorsement.
“It’s like a DJ, you can throw it on for any wedding,” he told McEnany. “If [former President] Joe Biden is getting married you can throw it on for him. I’m sure there’s fans over there on that side, too. It’s about coming together, it’s about being American.”
Obviously his rambling, word salad comments have been edited for coherency (no really, they have). So I’d like to point out that in the video, when Van Winkle starts the “It’s like a DJ,” analogy (not realizing that some DJs with integrity would decline to perform for certain people), he ends with that bit of “It’s about coming together,” but goes further to say “Music is made to bring people together.” So we’ve got DJ + music + people coming together. Sound familiar? This dude can’t fart without stealing from another artist, I swear!
Equally irritating, though on different grounds, was this statement: “Let’s celebrate the country that we’re born and raised in.” The thing about that, Mr. Van Winkle, is that right now in our country, many people were not born here but were/are being raised here. Except they’re being rounded up by Trump’s ICE gestapo, and that makes some of us with empathy feel rather uncelebratory about our country at present. I’d question whether Robert Van Winkle took a page from that other R. Van Winkle — Rip — and fell asleep on the past 10 sh-t years of American politics. But no, Robert knows what’s going on, because he’s been booked at Trump’s “classy” parties to play his one hit that the regime is gleefully using as an anthem for ICE. But hey, glad your mom’s proud.
And to answer the question, “Who throws a better party than Trump?” ANYONE.
Photos credit: Robert Bell/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images, Aces/Backgrid and via Instagram
What a putz.
A completely broke putz.
He’s not broke. He got into house flipping before it really became popular and made a lot of money.
I’m so surprised by his politics. /s Poor Lil Tink Tink was trying to salvage his check. One of the very few he actually gets for singing.
Trash
You know who throws better parties than Mango Mussolini? People that pay the bills for those parties.
Why is he always beet red?
I threw a better party for the Tonys last night – and I was by myself.
You know, I’ve always thought THAT’S what the people want in a head of state, the ability to throw a great party! Jeez, even Snoop Dog meets that qualification.
The greatest concert ever headlined by Vanilla Ice said no one. Even during that brief period he was successful.
Ew.
He is EXACTLY who I would expect to perform at a top party where’s that pedophile Nugent he should be there.