HGTV Star Appearing at DNC After Rocky Past With Donald Trump

As the Democratic National Convention (DNC) kicks off on August 19, 2024, many celebrity supporters are in Chicago to perform and make appearances, including rapper and HGTV star Lil Jon.

The “Lil Jon Wants to Do What” star got his reality TV start on “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2011 and has had a rocky relationship with its star, former president Donald Trump, who is the 2024 Republican nominee for the presidency.

On the first night of the DNC, Lil Jon, an Atlanta native, will DJ an after-party for the Democratic Party of Georgia at the Chicago nightclub PRYSM, according to the New York Times. Tickets to the fundraiser, at which Georgia congresswoman Nikema Williams is also scheduled to appear, cost $500 and $750.

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President Donald Trump Made Headlines for His Interactions With Lil Jon on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’

Long before Lil Jon had his own HGTV design show, he appeared on Trump’s business-themed reality series, “Celebrity Apprentice,” in 2011 and placed third. In 2013, he also appeared an “All-Star” version of the series.

When Trump was first running for president, Lil Jon told Virgin Radio Dubai in April 2016 that he was choosing to stay “neutral,” not vocalizing his support of Trump or Hilary Clinton, adding that he appreciated the time he spent with Trump on the show.

“Honestly, Mr. Trump did a lot of great things for me when I was on the show and he didn’t have to,” the rapper said at the time. “I remember, like, the first time really meeting him … his kids had already told him that I was somebody special and he was like, ‘Okay, we’ll see.’ Later on, doing the show, he saw my skillset and how I handled people and tasks and my knowledge, and whatever. And he just gave me a lot of respect, so I don’t have any negative things to say about him from my experiences at all.”

But months later, in October 2016, he changed his tune after multiple former “Celebrity Apprentice” staffers told The Daily Beast that when Lil Jon appeared in an Uncle Sam costume to promote a hair care product on “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice,” Trump repeatedly called him “Uncle Tom” instead and producers had to explain multiple times to him that it was racially insensitive.

Lil Jon confirmed the story in a tweet and wrote, “I can’t say if he knew what he was actually saying or not, but he did stop using that term once we explained it’s [sic] offensiveness.”

The rapper then added, “I also want to be clear that I don’t agree with many of the statements Mr. Trump has said during his current run for President.”

Two years later, in May 2018, the “Turn Down for What” rapper told Power 106 that his son “hung out with Trump” at the “Celebrity Apprentice” wrap party and that the real estate tycoon had done a lot to help his charity while he was on the show.

“The Trump I knew was nothing like what’s going on now,” he told the station. “Now it’s just a whole ‘nother animal.”

Months later, in November 2018, President Trump made headlines during a White House press conference when a reporter asked him about the Lil Jon story, citing it as one of several examples of racially offensive comments others had reported Trump made.

“I don’t know who Lil Jon is,” Trump replied, and then when he was told the rapper was on “Celebrity Apprentice,” he said, “Oh, he was? I see.”

Trump also insisted at the press conference, “I have never used racist remarks.”

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Lil Jon’s Opinion of President Donald Trump Further Soured After He Took Office

By October 2020, Lil Jon’s opinion of Trump had soured further. When someone on Twitter asked him if he’d consider “supporting our great President,” according to the Huffington Post, Lil Jon responded, “HOW ABOUT [expletive] NOOOOOO.”

Weeks later, on November 9, Lil Jon slammed Arizona congressman Paul Gosar in a tweet after the politician used lyrics from his 2002 hit “Get Low” to boast about winning his race for office with 69.69% of the vote, per Billboard.

When Gosar tweeted, “69.69 damn that’s fine. What say you @LilJon,” the rapper replied, “DONT QUOTE MY SONGS BRUH. ON ANOTHER NOTE R You GONN HELP 45 PACK HIS [expletive] UP”

Now, as the race heats up between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Lil Jon is back in the fray. In addition to DJing the after-party fundraiser on August 19, he has not stopped any anyone from using the same song Gosar quoted in 2020 — “Get Low” — to support Harris and her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz.

In a silly dance video, one TikTok user, Robert Blackmon, went viral for slightly altering the lyrics of the tune by singing, “To the window, to the Walz” in support of Harris’ VP pick. The idea has taken off and many other memes across social media now feature the lyrics.

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