Chappell Roan clarifies presidential election stance after backlash

Chappell Roan has clarified her stance on the forthcoming US election, after recent comments about whether she was planning to endorse a presidential candidate sparked a fierce backlash online.

In a statement, the pop star doubled down on her nonpartisan stance as she declared she would “stand up for what’s right and what I believe in”, while confirming that she would not be voting for Donald Trump.

“I have encouraged people to use critical thinking skills, learn about what they’re voting for, learn about who they’re voting for and ask questions, and it’s being completely taken out of context, per usual,” Roan said in a TikTok shared on 24 September.

In recent months, the singer’s track “Femininonmenon” has been co-opted by Kamala Harris’s campaign team, as other celebrities including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Chris Rock throw their support behind the Democratic candidate and her running mate, Tim Walz.

Speaking to The Guardian last week, Roan, 26, said she didn’t feel pressure to endorse someone as she has “so many issues with our government in every way”.

“There’s problems on both sides. I encourage people to use your critical thinking skills, use your vote – vote small, vote for what’s going on in your city,” she continued.

On social media, Roan’s remarks were attacked by some critics over her supposed “neutrality”, while others falsely claimed that she had implied she was a Trump supporter.

Defending her remarks, Roan said: “There is nuance to what I say in interviews, and I think it’s important that people use critical thinking.

“I think it’s important for me to question authority and question world leaders and question myself, question my algorithm, question if some person that tweeted something about