Fact Check: Did Snoop Dogg claim MAGA supporters are racist despite Trump pardoning his friend from prison? Viral clip explained
A viral clip of Snoop Dogg claiming all supporters of Donald Trump are 'racist' has gone viral on the internet ahead of the 2024 Presidential elections in November.
The clip dates back to 2018 and features a conversation between Snoop Dogg and DJ Suss, where the former called fans 'racist' if they were in favor of the President. Here's how the conversation went:
DJ Suss: Alright, politics real quick. I don't really apologize man, cause a lot of my fans get mad at me when I talk bad about him but I don't -- I think it's safe to say most people in our culture do not rock with Donald Trump.
Snopp Dogg: You need to know a lot of your fans are racist. I don't give a fu*k. I tell them straight up. If you like that n***** you motherfu**ing racist. Before him, there were no lines. Everybody was everybody, we respected everything. We didn't trip.
The rapper further criticized the former President, claiming he "drew the lines" of division and began "pointing motherfu**ers out" and "singling them." Dogg then mentioned fellow rapper Kanye West, and criticized him for being in support of the Republican. He added:
"Kanye too. Don't forget about him too. Fu*k you too. Throw him in the bag too, cause he right with them motherfu**ers."
The viral video where Snoop Dogg calls people racist for supporting Donald Trump is a real one. The interview was uploaded on HipHopDX's official YouTube channel on September 20, 2018.
However, this interview dates back six years ago and took place before the Republican leader pardoned Dogg's best friend Michael 'Harry O' Harris from prison on a presidential appeal during his last days at the White House in 2020. At the time of Dogg's statements in 2018, Trump was still President.
Netizens have been misconstruing the 2018 interview clip as a recent one. Dogg has not made any derogatory statements about the former President this year or ahead of the Presidential elections. In January 2024, Dogg once again thanked the MAGA leader for pardoning his friend after years of beef with him.
Snoop Dogg and Donald Trump's relationship over the years explored
Snoop Dogg and Donald Trump initially bonded on the former President's TV show, The Apprentice in 2007. Speaking on season 6 of the show, the MAGA leader had said:
“You know Snoop Dogg?” He’s the greatest. One of the nation’s best-selling hip-hop artists.”
However, the duo has had an on-and-off friendship, with Dogg taking multiple digs at the former President over the years. In 2016, Dogg publicly stood against the Republican leader when he decided to run for President. He came into office in the same year.
On Bravo's Watch What Happens Live, Dogg voiced his support for Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton.
“And just to have a woman speaking from a global perspective as far as representing America, I’d love to see that. So I’ll be voting for Mrs. Clinton," Dogg said.
Months after his appointment in 2017, Snoop Dogg parodied the then-President in his Lavender (Nightfall Remix) video. The visuals included a clown version called Ronald Klump. The video depicted a set of events where 'Clown-in-chief' Klump held a press conference announcing the deportation of all dogs.
Speaking to Billboard after the music video release, Dogg explained his grievances with Trump, and noted:
"The [Muslim] ban that this motherfu**er tried to put up; him winning the presidency; police being able to kill motherfu**ers… and get away with it (and) people being in jail for weed for 20, 30 years.”
After the music video was released, the former President shot back at the rapper's digs via X, taking digs at his "failing career."
Later in the same year, Snoop Dogg released the single, M.A.C.A. (Make America Crip Again), including digs at the former President. The title is a mockery of Trump's popular campaign slogan, Make America Great Again (MAGA). Dogg rapped in the single:
“The president says he wants to make America great again. Fu*k that sh*t, we going to make America Crip again/ Don’t you look strange having all that power but you won’t make change.”
However, the tide changed in January 2021, when Trump pardoned Death Row Records co-founder Michael 'Harry-O' Harris and Dogg's best friend. Harris had served 30 years of his 25 to life sentence for charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. In the final days of his presidency, the MAGA leader pardoned Dogg's best friend, leading the rapper to publicly acknowledge the former President's favor.
In a call with The New York Post, Snoop Dogg shared his gratitude for the Republican president and appreciated his gesture.
“That’s great work for the president and his team on the way out. They did some great work while they was in there and they did some great work on their way out. Let them know that I love what they did," the rapper said.
Ahead of the 2024 Presidential elections, Snoop Dogg spoke to The Sunday Times and once again thanked the Republican nominee for pardoning Harris. He said:
"He ain't done nothing wrong to me. He has done only great things for me. He pardoned Michael Harris. I have nothing but love and respect for him for Donald Trump."
It appears that Snoop Dogg has let go of his previous grievances against the former President. It remains to be seen if the Republican returns to the White House again after the elections.