Inside Snoop Dogg’s “sudden turnaround”: from fierce criticism of Trump to quick support for the president’s events.
Inside Snoop Dogg’s political U-turn as he went from slamming Trump to supporting events
Snoop Dog’s tone on the president has softened in recent years -Credit:Getty Images for BET
(Getty Images for BET)
Snoop Dogg has once again spoken positively about Donald Trump during a recent interview.
Over the years, the hip-hop icon has publicly mocked, criticized and even theatrically portrayed Trump in music videos and interviews. However, his tone has shifted in recent years following his outspoken anti-Trump stance during the president’s first term in office.
In one of his latest remarks, Snoop said in an interview with the Times, “He ain’t done nothing wrong to me. He has done only great things for me. He pardoned Michael Harris.” And it’s not the only time the music artist has outwardly supported the 79-year-old political figure.
Harris, a co-founder of Death Row Records and an early supporter of Snoop’s career, received clemency from Trump in the final days of his presidency in 2021 after serving decades in prison on drug-related charges.
Here, we’ve broken down the many times Snoop Dogg has publicly criticized Donald Trump before later showing support for him.
Comedy Central roast
Snoop Dog has had glowing words about Trump -Credit:AFP via Getty Images
Long before Trump entered the White House, Snoop Dogg crossed paths with him during a televised celebrity roast hosted by Comedy Central in 2011.
At the time, Trump was best known as the host of The Apprentice and a celebrity businessman. During the event, Snoop delivered jokes aimed at Trump.
The now 54-year-old rapper made a prescient gag about the possibility of Trump running for president and displacing the Obamas, “Why not? It wouldn’t be the first time you’d pushed a black family out of their home.”
He also said to Trump, “I wish I had half your money but for that you need a 20-year-old’s p—- and a divorce lawyer.”
Controversial Trump parody video
One of the biggest flashpoints in Snoop’s political history came in 2017, when he released a music video that portrayed a parody version of Trump as a clown named “Ronald Klump.”
The video quickly went viral because of one particularly controversial scene involving a toy gun. Critics accused the rapper of going too far, while supporters defended the video as political satire.
He had previously in 2017 released a video showing a mock execution of Trump in a clown costume.
The video shows a clown named Ronald Klump dressed as the president. In one scene in the video, Snoop Dogg points a fake pistol at the Trump clown and pulls the trigger. An explosion is heard and the pistol fires a small flag with the words “bang” on it.
Trump himself later reacted angrily on social media, criticizing the rapper directly.
“Can you imagine what the outcry would be if @SnoopDogg, failing career and all, had aimed and fired the gun at President Obama? Jail time!” Trump wrote on Twitter
The controversy became one of the most talked-about celebrity political moments of Trump’s first presidency.
President Donald Trump -Credit:AP
Political view change
During the 2010s, the controversial musician frequently aligned himself with Democratic politicians. In 2012, he publicly discussed supporting former President Barack Obama over Republican nominee Mitt Romney, and he later endorsed Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election.
At the time, Snoop was openly critical of Trump’s administration and often used social media to mock conservative politics.
Yet by 2024, the rapper’s language around Trump had noticeably changed. Speaking about the election cycle at the time, Snoop suggested he was reconsidering how he viewed the president. “I may have to,” Snoop says, nodding. “Because there are mixed views on that, so I want to see what the people say …,” he said.
Performing at a Trump-linked inauguration event
In another move that surprised many longtime fans, Snoop appeared at a cryptocurrency-focused event connected to Trump’s second inauguration celebrations in January 2025.
The music artist later broke his silence over the controversy after his performance. When asked if he was bothered by the backlash, he said, “No. I call it 30 for 30. I DJ’d at the Crypto Ball for what, 30 minutes? Made a whole bunch of money, made a lot of relationships to help out the inner city and the community and teach financial literacy and crypto in a space that it don’t exist.”
“That’s 30 minutes” he continued. “30 years, Snoop Dogg been doing great things for the community, building, showing up, standing up for the people, making it happen, being all I can be. But which one is it? 30 for 30. 30 minutes or 30 years?”
