"Why is he dressed like a Budweiser bottle?" - Internet reacts to viral picture of Kid Rock in the Oval Office
Kid Rock made an appearance at the Oval Office on Monday, March 31, as Donald Trump signed an executive order addressing the resale of tickets. Rock, 54, donned a bright red shirt with the U.S. flag drawn on it, paired with matching pants. His white fedora also featured certain symbols from the national flag at the hem.
The singer's appearance and ensemble prompted reactions online. Several people critiqued Rock for not wearing a suit to the White House.
"Why is he dressed like a Budweiser bottle?", wrote one X user.
"So, Kid Rock is the spokesperson for this? Is that the clown suit you're going to wear for your first gig at the Kennedy Center? What a clown. And they hammered Zelenskyy for dressing down?", commented another.
"I thought anyone visiting the White House should be "wearing a suit?"", resonated one more.
"Kid is an embarrassment to the state of Michigan", said one X user.
"The whole world is laughing at us. We have officially hit rock bottom. Kid Rock bottom", voiced another.
A few others defended the singer's presence in the Oval Office. They brought up past references of previous Presidents inviting musicians to the White House.
"Why shouldn't an entertainer be in the White House? Obama had a revolving door for the Friends of Diddy", commented one.
"I don't get it what's the big deal of kid rock is there?", asked one more.
"Really, this is the best you got? This is something done almost universally regardless of political party. The have people connected to the EO present when they sign it!", wrote another.
"It's a conundrum" — Kid Rock speaks on concert ticket sales and scalpers
Donald Trump's executive order on Monday aimed at fair ticket prices for music or sports enthusiasts and fans. The President addressed the ticket-reselling issue, where scalpers sell their tickets at comparatively higher prices when other windows for purchasing become unavailable to fans.
Trump said this issue bothers Kid Rock and several other artists:
"They go out with a $100 ticket, and it sells for $2,000 the following night."
Kid Rock thanked the President for having him at the Oval Office and allowing him to share his views on the prevalent issue. The singer said:
"Anyone who's bought a ticket in the last decade, maybe 20 years, no matter what your politics are, knows it is a conundrum. You buy a ticket for 100 bucks, by the time you check it out, it's $170. You don't know what you're getting charged for."
Rock then highlighted bots used by companies to bulk-buy concert tickets and resell them at higher prices to get a profit out of it. The singer said:
"They come in to get all the good tickets to your favorite shows you want to go to, and then they are relisted immediately for sometimes a 4-500% markup. And the artists don't see any of that money."
Kid Rock commended the initiative and told the President there should be a law to cap ticket reselling. Claiming to be "a little overpaid" at the moment, Rock said:
"I would rather be, you know, a hero to working-class people and have them be able to come attend my shows, and give them a fair ticket price."
This executive order calls for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to impose legal actions against companies or individuals who use bots to buy multiple tickets at once and resell them at an inflated price.
The FTC is ordered to ensure fair distribution of tickets among fans through the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act.