Wicked star Ariana Grande criticized President Donald Trump by posing a blunt question on Instagram for his supporters now that Trump has been in office for 250 days and counting.
Grande has been a consistently vocal advocate for social justice for many years and she circulated a post from podcaster Matt Bernstein calling out Trump supporters now that, among other things, Trump's immigration crackdown is in full swing and the government is threatening free speech rights.
It reads:
“i want to check in with trump voters. i have one very genuine question. it’s been 250 days."
"now that immigrants have been violently torn from their families and communities have been destroyed, now that trans people have been blamed for virtually everything and live in fear, now that free speech is on the brink of collapse for us all ― has your life gotten better?"
"have your groceries gotten cheaper? has your health insurance premium gone down? has your work/life balance improved? can you take a vacation yet? are you happier?"
"has the widespread suffering of others paid off for you in the way he promised it would, or are you still waiting?”
You can see her post below.
@arianagrande/Instagram
Grande's post prompted White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai to weave several of her song titles into a statement— including “Save Your Tears,” “Just Like Magic,” and “Get Well Soon":
“Save your tears, Ariana. Because President Trump’s actions ended Joe Biden’s inflation crisis and are bringing in trillions in new investment."
“He even signed an executive order just like magic that paved the way for the FTC to crack down on Ticketmaster for ripping off Ariana Grande’s concert-going fans. Get well soon, Ariana!”
That did nothing to address the very real concerns Grande brought up—and people were quick to call it out.
Trump won re-election by promising voters an economic renaissance. But months into his second term, many Americans feel let down. Early optimism about his handling of the economy and inflation has given way to strong disapproval amid investor fears and an increasingly chaotic global trade environment due to his tariffs.
Fresh YouGov polling shows Trump’s approval slipping even in places that backed him just months ago. His ratings remain strongest in Republican-leaning states and weakest in Democratic ones, and his core voters still largely stand by him. But the data reveal widespread disapproval.
Demographically, white and male voters are most approving, while younger Americans and ethnic minorities show the sharpest disapproval. College graduates and postgraduates are the least likely to back him, and even older voters—a group that typically leans Republican—are proving less enthusiastic than expected.
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