Politics has been getting weird lately, and by lately, of course, I mean the last several years. So, if you feel like you missed the episode where Amber Rose goes from former (?) feminist activist, model, and "SlutWalk" organizer to delivering a speech endorsing former President Trump during day one of the Republican National Convention, allow me to fill you in. On Monday, while addressing Republican delegates, supporters, and leaders in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rose said of Trump and his Republican Party: "These are my people." It's been eight years since Rose called then-candidate Trump "a fucking idiot" during an interview in 2016. But in her convention speech, she recounted the day she learned her father was a Trump supporter and how they argued about whether Trump is a racist. (Fact check: He indeed is!) Their conversations compelled Rose to do her own "research," which, as we've seen from every anti-vax celebrity ever, never really ends well. "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," Rose said of the man whose presidential administration tried to write trans people out of existence and whose 2016 campaign rose to prominence by referring to Mexican immigrants as "rapists." "These are my people. This is where I belong," Rose said of Trump supporters. She let go of "all of my fear of judgment of being misunderstood of getting attacked by the left," and "put the red hat on too." OK then! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amber Rose (@amberrose) Rose's speech comes about two months after she shared she'd be voting for Trump via a bizarre Instagram post featuring her, Melania Trump, and the former president, unsubtly captioned, "Trump 2024 ????????????????????????." There was no explanation given, nor did Rose's short remarks on Monday address the hypocrisy of her right-wing pivot. In 2015, Rose hosted a SlutWalk event protesting sexual assault and advocating for reproductive rights. Her Amber Rose Foundation has raised thousands for public education about feminist issues. Rose said in 2016 that she'd raise her son to be a feminist. By contrast, Trump has been found civilly liable for at least one case of sexual abuse and faces allegations from dozens of other women over the years. He's also responsible for the decimation of Roe v. Wade and the rash of abortion bans across the country. “I’m here tonight to tell you, no matter your political background, that the best chance we have to give our babies a better life is to elect Donald Trump president of the United States,” Rose said in her speech. “I’m no politician and I don’t wanna 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.” Ultimately, Rose has yet to offer a satisfying explanation for her political transformation, probably because there is none. Her appearance at the RNC as a former sex worker and vocal feminist is also curious given the Republican Party's disdain for both of these identities. But if anything, the RNC's inclusion of Rose speaks to the party's growing efforts to hide their anti-abortion, anti-women extremism, and pander to young people and people of color—all while continuing to screw us all over with their policies.
