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Willie Nelson Trending on Twitter: Here’s Why

After losing Betty White on New Year’s Eve, seeing Willie Nelson trending on Twitter was scary. Luckily, though, he’s still alive and well. It seems that the social media platform is having a big discussion about his political views.

Willie Nelson is a country music icon and a native Texan. Those two pieces of information led many to believe that Willie leaned one way politically. However, Nelson has been pretty open about his politics for decades now. On the other hand, you’d probably miss it if you were just listening to the hits. “Whiskey River” and “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” don’t get political, after all. Furthermore, many casual listeners don’t know that Willie appears at several charity events as well as Democrat-led political events.

It seems that his support for Beto O’Rourke in Texas has put Willie Nelson under the political microscope once again. First, let’s look at what some Twitter users are saying.

What Twitter Is Saying About Willie Nelson

The primary reason Willie Nelson is trending? A lot of folks can’t believe that some Willie Nelson fans are just now learning about his political leanings.

And, as you can imagine, a whole lot of people weighed in. Folks on both the right and the left offered their thoughts on the Red-Headed Stranger’s beliefs.

Let’s Look at the Music

We’ll start with “Living in the Promiseland” from 1986. Willie Nelson didn’t write the song. But, he did include it on his album The Promiseland and released it as the lead single from that record. The song was a chart-topper for Nelson and gives insight into his political leanings. It’s about letting immigrants come to America to experience our freedoms. “There is a winding road / Across the shifting sand / And room for everyone / Living in the Promiseland.”

We can also get a little more recent. Look at the song “Vote ‘Em Out” for example. Willie Nelson released the single during the 2018 Senate race in Texas.

He debuted the song at the event in which he officially endorsed O’Rourke. Nelson released an animated video for the track in September of 2020, leading up to the Trump/Biden election.

Willie Nelson on the Political Backlash From Some Fans

Willie Nelson addressed this political controversy back in 2018. While on The View, Nelson said that he has supported the Democratic Party his whole life. When one of the show’s hosts brought up the fact that some of his fans didn’t like the fact that he was supporting O’Rourke, Willie didn’t shy away from addressing it.

“I don’t care. I don’t care. They’re entitled to their opinions and I’m entitled to mine,” he said.