The 2016 Republican presidential campaign turned uglier than could have been imagined when protesters trolled Canadian-born Sen. Ted Cruz at several campaign stops with “Ted Cruz Likes Nickelback” signs.
Donald Trump, however, refuses to let his message be shaped by criticism from other candidates or from the media, and he proudly outed himself Friday night as a huge Billy Joel fan.
Thank you @BillyJoel– many friends just told me you gave a very kind shoutout at MSG. Appreciate it- love your music!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 28, 2016
@realDonaldTrump @billyjoel well.. time to burn all my Billy Joel albums!
— Doug Davies (@FunkyVisions) May 28, 2016
Before you do anything rash you’ll regret later, read the rest of this post … and then burn your albums.
At the Billy Joel show and he just dedicated The Entertainer to Donald Trump. It's lit.
— Donwill (@donwill) May 28, 2016
@realDonaldTrump @billyjoel He was JOKING……oh my God, this is hilarious
— Willie Garson (@WillieGarson) May 28, 2016
@realDonaldTrump Your hands are too small to play the piano.
— ginalou (@ginalou) May 28, 2016
Admitting you love Billy Joel’s music is hardly presidential, and it didn’t take long for the media to scramble to fact check Trump’s claim that Joel’s Madison Square Garden shout out was the genuine article. After all, reporters have a running mental list of reliably liberal musical acts to maintain.
Please tell me @billyjoel isn't supporting Donald Slimeball Trump. #DefeatTrump
— Joan Anderson (@mrsjoananderson) May 28, 2016
Surely enough, Joel’s “endorsement” of Trump was anything but. Joel admitted that Trump’s campaign was “very entertaining” while introducing his song, “The Entertainer.” In fact, he’s been dedicating the number to Trump on a number of stops on his current tour.
@theblaze @billyjoel listen to the song…it's not an endorsement!
— Pat Orf (@PORFect65) May 28, 2016
How about you listen to it, while we skim the lyrics.
Not positive that @billyjoel's dedication of "The Entertainer" to Trump tonite was an endorsement, given the lyrics. pic.twitter.com/07eDO100Sc
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) May 28, 2016
Billy Joel did NOT just endorse Donald Trump https://t.co/2fMHy0rAo7
— John Aravosis (@aravosis) May 28, 2016
@kenvogel He did the same dedication in San Diego a couple weeks ago, definitely sarcastic.
— Jeff Burke (@JeffBBurke) May 28, 2016
Billy Joel dedicated a song to Trump at his latest MSG concert.
"Yeah, but it was 'The Entertainer.'"
OH! SUBTLETY! TRUMP'S ONLY WEAKNESS!— Adam Bozarth (@adambozarth) May 28, 2016
UPDATE: Trump is being a dingus again, reports from my dumb Long Island friends at the Billy Joel concert are that the praise was facetious.
— Zach (@BarroldBonds) May 28, 2016
If @billyjoel really endorsed #Trump he's going to have to change the name of that song to "We Did Start The Fire" https://t.co/lzIMg4utOx
— TJ Sullivan (@TJSullivanLA) May 28, 2016
Who had any idea so much hinged on Billy Joel’s endorsement? Fans are relieved beyond measure to learn that Joel was being sarcastic.
Thank you for this. I couldn't imagine @billyjoel supporting Trump. Not in a million years. Whew! https://t.co/wrO0VbUOXc
— joshua epstein (@thejoshuablog) May 28, 2016
@realDonaldTrump @billyjoel if Billy Joel is a Trump supporter…i know then the world is doomed
— Oscareli (@Oscareli) May 28, 2016
Trump, I can do without. Billy Joel, not so much.
— Ryan Andrew Clarke (@RyanAClarke) May 28, 2016
It appears that Trump’s tweet has created another rift, this time in the world of classic rock. Could we please have the crack designers for the Clinton campaign whip up a super-scientific Venn diagram showing the intersection of Billy Joel fans and Donald Trump fans?
Memo to progressives upset about Billy Joel shouting out Donald Trump: Billy Joel has always been garbage, totally independent of politics.
— David A. Graham (@GrahamDavidA) May 28, 2016
