Goodbye ‘Real American’? Ron DeSantis may use Jason Aldean walkup music

Iowa South DeSantis
'It's rocketed to number one because he smartly leaned in on this.'

The Ron DeSantis reset continues, and it may extend to his campaign playlist.

The 2024 presidential candidate has been using “Real American” for a number of weeks now, a song most associated with professional wrestler Hulk Hogan.

But the Governor is leaning toward using the controversial Jason Aldean tune “Try That In A Small Town” instead, he told Jesse Watters Thursday night on Fox News.

“We may have to use that the next time we do a public event, you know, maybe that will be my intro song just to make sure that we continue leaning in,” DeSantis said.

Try That In A Small Town” was removed from CMT’s playlist. Variety notes the controversy was in part because Aldean filmed the video outside a Tennessee courthouse infamous for a lynching a century ago. The singer since has denied his song is “pro-lynching.”

The Governor had nothing but kind words for the singer (“a great, great guy”) and the song (“great”), while noting that the song “rocketed to number one because he smartly leaned in on this.”

The Watters interview was the second time Thursday the Governor was on Fox News talking about Aldean and his tune. He said on “Fox and Friends” the controversy proved America is “off its rocker” due to “cancel culture.”

“We need to restore sanity to this country. I mean, what is going on that that would be something that would be censored? I mean, give me a break,” DeSantis said Thursday.

“We’re off the rocker here in the United States with a lot of this stuff; with cancel culture, with big tech censorship, with a lot of stuff that the federal government is doing in policing so-called misinformation,” he added. “We need to get back on kilter and start having a free society again and embracing truth. So I think it’s part and parcel of a lot of the nonsense we’ve seen over the last many years nonetheless.”

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


8 comments

  • SteveHC

    July 21, 2023 at 12:02 am

    He talks a good game of “freedom” but unfortunately for us American citizens his actions as a politician and elected official strongly point in a VERY different direction. He would be GREAT in China.

    • Penny Howland

      July 21, 2023 at 5:17 am

      Agreed!

  • Suze

    July 21, 2023 at 12:34 am

    His freedom is if it is in line with white nationalists. The ones that cover their face but wouldn’t wear a mask to protect others.

    • Michael K

      July 22, 2023 at 1:18 am

      He’s burnishing his racist credentials and will do anything to grab a headline, no matter how vile.

  • My Take

    July 21, 2023 at 7:11 am

    Horst Wessel may not have a catchy enough tune.

  • Peggy

    July 21, 2023 at 10:48 am

    If I didn’t know better I’d assume he was doing a “The Producers” and is intentionally trying to tank his campaign for some reason.

  • Ronny

    July 21, 2023 at 1:16 pm

    Ron Never going to be President desantis

  • Michael K

    July 21, 2023 at 9:46 pm

    No wonder he attacks education. My 5th grade grammar teacher would flunk him for these meaningless word salads. Ignorance is a virtue with this angry little whiner.

Comments are closed.


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