Axl Rose Slams White House for Vice President Pence NFL Walkout ‘PR Stunt’
Welcome back to Twitter, Axl Rose, we’ve missed you! After a five-month break from the social media platform, Rose signed in once again to make his voice heard on the recent actions by Vice President Pence at an Indianapolis Colts game.
Many musicians have offered their opinions on players taking a knee during the national anthem since the 2017 NFL season began. Members of Pearl Jam and Prophets of Rage both took a knee onstage to support Americans’ constitutional right to peaceful protest, while Corey Taylor also defended the demonstrations, saying NFL have “every right to take a knee.” As for the opposing viewpoint, Stryper’s Michael Sweet criticized those taking a knee, stating that playing football is a job, not a political platform.
Axl Rose didn’t necessarily take a side in the argument, but he did take aim at Vice President Pence for leaving an NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers (Colin Kaepernick’s former team) and the Indianapolis Colts. Pence made his departure after various players knelt during the national anthem:
President Donald Trump tweeted shortly thereafter that he had asked Pence to walk out of the game, leading many to believe the Vice President's actions were a pre-orchestrated publicity stunt.
Axl Rose, an Indiana native, is among those who aren't buying the spontaneity of the Vice President’s walkout, and chastised the White House for costing American taxpayers roughly $242,500 in travel expenses for what Rose chalks up as a publicity stunt:
Axl Rose has remained busy this year, keeping Guns N’ Roses’ massively successful ‘Not in This Lifetime’ tour on the road. This summer alone, GN’R raked in $53 million in revenue. Who says rock is dead?
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