Amber Rose supports Donald Trump in RNC speech: 'This is where I belong' (original) (raw)

Amber Rose, model and ex-wife of rapper Wiz Khalifa, voiced passionate support for Donald Trump in a five-minute speech at Monday night's Republican National Convention, from which the former Apprentice host will emerge as the party's official nominee in the presidential election.

The 40-year-old introduced herself as a mother while on stage inside Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum, where party members gathered to support Trump as the party's candidate. She added that she felt compelled to speak at the RNC after feeling a commonality among all parents to provide for their families, regardless of political affiliation.

"I'm here tonight to tell you, no matter your political background, the best chance we have to give our babies a better life is to elect Donald Trump [as] President of the United States," Rose said from the podium. "You may be wondering why I'm up here telling you this. I'm no politician, and I don't want to be. But, I do care about the truth, and the truth is that the media has lied to us about Donald Trump. I know this because, for a long time, I believed those lies, so I'm here to set the record straight."

Rose recalled initially resisting her father — a 20-year military veteran — and his support for Trump, until her dad challenged her to find proof of "the left-wing propaganda that Donald Trump is racist," she said.

"People have to do their research. I watched all the rallies, and I started meeting so many of you, his red-hat-wearing supporters. I realized Donald Trump and his supporters don't care if you're Black, white, gay, or straight — it's all love. That's when it hit me. These are my people, this is where I belong," Rose said, with onlookers like controversial media personality Tucker Carlson and J.D. Vance — Hillbilly Elegy writer and Trump's V.P. pick — applauding Rose's words as they sat next to Trump.

Rose said through her research, she learned to "let go of my fear of judgment, of being misunderstood, of getting attacked by the left," and "put the red hat on, too."

Amber Rose and Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention.

PBS NewsHour/Youtube

"The left told me to hate Trump — and worse — to hate the other side, the people who support him," she continued. "American families were better when Donald Trump was president."

In response to Rose's speech, a representative for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' campaign provided Entertainment Weekly with a statement challenging the personality's views.

“Amber Rose is right about one thing: research is important. Since we’re talking about facts, we brought receipts: Rose said American families were better off when Trump was president — and if she’s talking about his billionaire donors, she’s right," Sarafina Chitika, a senior Biden-Harris spokesperson wrote via email. "But for Black communities, it’s the opposite story: Black unemployment, Black uninsured rates, and crime rates skyrocketed under Trump’s leadership, because the truth is simple — Donald Trump doesn’t care about us, our lives, or our livelihoods. A vote for Donald Trump is a vote to line the pockets of millionaires like Rose at the expense of actual Black communities, and those are the facts."

EW has additionally reached out to Khalifa for comment, as the recording artist was married to Rose from 2013 to 2016, and shares one of the children Rose referenced on stage at the RNC.

Democratic strategist Van Jones later reacted to Rose's speech Monday night on CNN, calling it "the most dangerous speech for the Democratic coalition" because Rose spoke to her points "really well," per The Hill.

Rose's Instagram account includes more recent posts voicing support for Trump, with the model even changing her profile photo to an image of Trump wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat — a cap she also sported in a July 2 photo shared to her grid.

Among Rose's recent posts is also a photo of Trump with his fist held high in the air while blood ran down his face, following an assassination attempt that saw a suspected shooter open fire on Trump during a Saturday evening rally in Rose's home state of Pennsylvania.

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When Rose voiced praise for Trump in a May 20 post on Instagram, some celebrities commented distaste over the move.

"Girl BYE," commented drag entertainer Shea Couleé, who won the fifth all-star edition of RuPaul's Drag Race — the drag queen reality competition series on which Rose previously appeared as a guest in 2011.

Others, however, propped up Rose's decision to support the candidate of her choice, including America's Next Top Model cycle 1 winner Adrianne Curry, who replied: "Look at the bigots here. They only love you if you bend the knee and do as you are told."

Watch Rose's RNC speech supporting Trump in the video above.