As the Democratic National Convention ( DNC) kicks off in Chicago, country singer John Rich made a cryptic and ominous post on X, formerly, Twitter, on Monday evening that has raised eyebrows and sparked speculation from social media users.
“Just wait till the sun goes down in Chicago,” Rich, a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, wrote on the social media platform.
As of Monday evening, Rich’s post has gained over 340,000 views and has amassed over 13,500 likes.
One concerned X user asked the singer, “Is this a threat, sir? I see your timeline has some commenters alluding to violence or some kind of fire at the @DNC IN CHICAGO?? @FBI @FBIChicago @SecretService.”
Another X user shot back at the musician and wrote, “Chicago isn’t a sundown town, Johnny. Go south where you belong.”
Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, are all-white neighborhoods in the United States. They are considered communities that practiced or still practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites by some combination of discriminatory local laws, intimidation or violence.
Veteran and Chicago resident, Jared Ryan Sears, responded to Rich’s cryptic X post and wrote, “You’re right. The city looks fantastic at night. They even have nighttime architecture boat tours to show you its beauty. Tonight will be especially beautiful as we gather to elect Kamala Harris in November, making Trump a loser yet again.”
Newsweek has contacted Rich’s press email on Monday for comment.
Just wait till the sun goes down in Chicago.
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) August 19, 2024
Rich, who has over 1 million X followers and is known for his conservative views and frequent political commentary on social media, has a history of making provocative statements that resonate with his base. His latest post comes on the heels of a series of tweets criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and the Biden administration’s policies.
Just days before DNC, on August 16, Rich posted a list of reasons on X to “vote Kamala,” each point being sarcastic and highlighting conservative grievances against the current administration. The list included references to inflation, security of the U.S.-Mexico border, foreign policy, and “woke” culture—all hot-button issues for the Republican base.
“If you like your grocery bill, vote Kamala. If you like terrorists crossing our border, vote Kamala,” Rich wrote, before continuing with a litany of criticisms that touched on World War III, high interest rates, credit card dependency, military policies, and vaccine mandates.
If you like your grocery bill, vote Kamala
If you like terrorists crossing our border, vote Kamala
If you’re not concerned with WW3, vote Kamala
If you like high interest rates, vote Kamala
If you love using credit cards to survive, vote Kamala
If you appreciate a woke military,…— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) August 16, 2024
This is not the first time Rich has made waves with his social media presence. Recently, he praised Trump’s interview on X with platform owner Elon Musk, which reportedly garnered significant viewership. Rich contrasted this with a controversial performance by rapper Megan Thee Stallion who performed at one of Harris’ campaign rallies where her twerking dance moves drew criticism from conservatives.
“59 million views with no twerking. Mission accomplished,” Rich quipped about the Trump interview, in a post that was viewed over 760,000 times.
The country singer later told Newsweek, with a touch of humor, “To be fair, I couldn’t see Elon or Trump as they were speaking, so it is in fact possible that one or both of them could have been twerking at some point.”
