Newsmax contributor Chrissy Clark tore into the “Rich Men North of Richmond” singer, Oliver Anthony, for taking a nonpartisan stance in politics after his protest song went viral.

Newsmax host Bianca de la Garza started a discussion over the singer’s massive hit ballad that struck a chord with conservative Americans. It’s still topping the music charts but the singer is now attempting to distance himself from partisan politics.

“In case you’ve been living under a rock, that is Oliver Anthony, the Virginia farmer who shot to fame for his song ‘Rich Man North of Richmond,’” de la Garza began after playing some of the song for viewers.

“And he was defiant against conservative media that were spreading his message, notably after Fox News exploited his song ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ as they fished for an opportunity to make establishment candidates appear relatable on the debate stage last week,” she continued.

Newsmax contributor on Oliver Anthony: “Are you kidding me? This is a group of people that made your song wildly famous and… he’s almost slapping in the face the people that made him famous. It’s off-putting! I didn’t like this!” pic.twitter.com/EZChgI4FhM

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) August 28, 2023

“Well, liberal media is sort of running a victory lap because the singer isn’t a Republican. But guess what? He’s no bleeding heart liberal either. And maybe that is the left ignoring his song’s message altogether and just using him as a tool now to go and attack conservatives,” de la Garza noted.

“Let’s get into it. Our power panel is here with reaction, Newsmax contributor Chrissy Clark and founder of Freedom Forever Landon Starbuck. Ladies, great to see you,” the Newsmax host stated.

The host then laid the groundwork for her guests to give their opinion on Anthony staying away from both parties.

“So it seems like when you look at the headlines, liberals are just reveling in, you know, Anthony’s comments over the weekend saying that he’s not on either side, but Republicans are not turning their backs on him,” de la Garza recounted.

Oliver Anthony reveals he’s turned down $8M offers, shares emotional truths about his life https://t.co/PdPQarUA8X via @BIZPACReview

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“And, you know, Chrissy, I think that’s emblematic sort of of what conservatives are about. And it’s about people being able to speak freely in America today. What is your take on why the Left is so excited about this?” de la Garza asked Clark, who is also a reporter for The Daily Caller.

Clark didn’t quite give the answer the Newsmax host was looking for. She seems to have taken offense because the singer won’t declare he’s a Republican.

“Oh, well, of course, they’re excited about this because he’s not overtly coming out as partisan. But when I initially saw this headline, I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Clark railed.

‘Out-of-touch’ leftists in meltdown mode over ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ hitting home for millions https://t.co/cORzQ8WcH7 via @BIZPACReview

— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) August 19, 2023

“Like, this is a group of people that made your song wildly famous and you can’t write a song that’s about politics. He’s not talking about rainbows and butterflies. He’s talking about politics and then wondering why the political zeitgeist picks this up,” she raged.

“It’s a little odd to me that he’s almost slapping in the face the people that made him famous. It’s off-putting, I didn’t like this,” she concluded, taking a jab at Anthony’s insistence that he’s not taking part on either side.

Anthony made his comments following the first GOP political debate last week.

(Video Credit: Oliver Anthony Music)

“If there is anything for me to address at all with you it’s that, the one thing that has bothered me is seeing people wrap politics up in this. I’m disappointed to see… like it’s aggravating seeing people on conservative news try to identify with me like I’m one of them. It’s aggravating seeing certain musicians and politicians act like we’re buddies and act like we’re fighting the same struggle here,” Anthony claimed.

“It seems like certain people wanna just ride the attention of this song to maybe make their own selves relevant and that’s aggravating as hell. The other thing that I find aggravating is, well, you know it was funny seeing my song, it was funny seeing it at the presidential debate ’cause it’s like I wrote that song about those people,” he continued. “So for them to have to sit there and listen to that, that cracks me up.”

The singer went on to elaborate that this is about Americans, not one side of the political aisle or the other.

Oliver Anthony responds to his song’s debate moment: ‘I wrote that song about those people’ https://t.co/udNMTEVeSa via @BIZPACReview

— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) August 26, 2023

“That song has nothing to do with Joe Biden, it’s a lot bigger than Joe Biden. That song is written about the people on that stage — and a lot more too, not just them — but definitely them,” Anthony explained. “I do hate to see that song being weaponized, like I see the right trying to characterize me as one of their own and I see the left trying to discredit me, I guess in retaliation.”

“I don’t know that I’ve seen anything get such positive response from such a diverse group of people, and I think that terrifies the people that I sing about in that song. And they’ve done everything they can the last two weeks to make me look like a fool, to spin my words, to try to stick me in a political bucket, and they can keep trying but I’m just gonna keep on writing,” he concluded.

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