President Trump‘s lawyers referenced Eminem in a filing to dismiss a January 6 lawsuit. AllHipHop revealed on Monday (January 27) that Trump employed a “rapper defense” to counter accusations of inciting the 2021 Capitol riots. Filed weeks after the riots, Rep. Bennie Thompson’s lawsuit accuses Trump, along with groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, of scheming to derail Congress’s certification of the 2020 election.
Thompson referenced the Ku Klux Klan Act, a Reconstruction-era law created to prevent conspiracies obstructing federal officials’ work. After his dismissal attempt failed, Trump appealed, asserting his January 6 speech qualifies as protected political expression. His lawyers compared his words to rap lyrics, invoking Supreme Court cases where violent language was treated as art, not incitement.
Alluding to Eminem’s track “’97 Bonnie & Clyde” without directly naming the rap icon, Trump’s team stated: “A rapper rockets to the top of the charts for his aggressive, provocative lyrics that become wildly popular nationwide, particularly among angsty teenagers. He is ranked as one of the most controversial lyricists of all time. Many of his lyrics describe explicit violent acts, including gun violence, rape, and a description of the rapper drowning his wife. While at times, the rapper’s lyrics suggest that his work is not intended to encourage or endorse actual violence, other lyrics suggest the contrary.”
Trump’s Speech Defense and Eminem’s Support for Free Expression at Kamala Harris Rally
Furthermore, they pointed to Trump’s urging of supporters to protest “peacefully and patriotically” as a counter to incitement allegations.
His attorneys stated, “Nothing in President Trump’s speech even came close to the far more incendiary language that the Supreme Court has held to be protected as a matter of law.” “President Trump’s January 6 speech…is properly characterized as ‘strong protests against the government and prevailing social order’ – a context that demands the highest deference to speech and protection from censorship.” The judge has yet to rule as the case is still ongoing.
Nonetheless, Eminem, a vocal Trump critic, made a rare appearance at Kamala Harris’ Detroit rally during the 2024 election. He briefly addressed the crowd, saying, “People shouldn’t be afraid to express their opinions, and I don’t think anyone wants an America where people are worried about retribution or what people will do if you make your opinion known.” “I think Vice President Harris supports a future for this country where these freedoms and many others will be protected and upheld.”
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