Nirvana's Krist Novoselic exits Twitter after getting blasted for praising Trump over Army deployment speech
Krist Novoselic, best known as founding member and bassist of rock band Nirvana, was heavily criticized after he praised Donald Trump's "law and order" speech where the president promised to deploy the military if protests around the country were not brought under control.
Speaking at the White House rose garden on Monday, June 1, Trump said he was dispatching "thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults, and the wanton destruction of property."
He also termed violent protests "domestic acts of terror" which law enforcement would "dominate the streets" to stop. "My first and highest duty as president is to defend our great country and the American people," he said. "I swore an oath to uphold the laws of our nation and that is exactly what I will do."
People from all 50 states have taken to the streets following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old truck driver who was filmed pleading for his life as a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for close to nine minutes.
Taking to Facebook, Novoselic praised Trump's speech and said that, while many could not stand him, the president had "knocked it out of the park."
"I agree, the president should not be sending troops into states — and he legally might not be able to anyway — nevertheless, the tone in this speech is strong and direct," he wrote.
"I have been watching the images in the media and thinking about how polarized our country is," he continued. "I mean, even wearing medical masks in public can be seen as a political statement! The violence, (and not the protests) appear as a leftist insurrection. Imagine if so-called 'patriot militia' were raising this kind of hell? If this were the case, left wing people would welcome federal intervention."
He added: "Most Americans want peace in their communities and President Trump spoke to this desire. Never mind the legal details that few understand — Trump said he would stop the violence and this speaks to many."
But many were displeased with Novoselic's stance, especially considering his former bandmate Dave Grohl was amongst many musicians who observed 'Blackout Tuesday' this week in solidarity with the protesters and announced his band the Foo Fighters would "stand with the black community and our colleagues, artists, crews, fans, and leaders fighting against injustice and racism."
"Tired of being known for years as 'the other guy' from Nirvana, Krist Novoselic has rebranded as 'the shi**y guy' from Nirvana," one wrote.
"WOW f*** krist novoselic, f****** bootlicker. Nirvana fought racism and injustice F*** YOU," another angrily posted.
"Nirvana was always a two-member band. Apparently some Mandela Effect is going around about there being a third member named Krist Novoselic?? Idk, never heard of him," a third wrote.
Following the backlash, Novoselic deleted his Twitter account, made his Facebook account private, and attempted to clarify his comments in a separate post but did not back down from his initial assertions.
"As an avowed independent, I don’t endorse a major party or candidate," he wrote on Facebook. "And it feels insane to have to say this, but I don’t support fascism, and I don’t support an authoritarian state. I believe in a civilized society and that we all have to work toward that. Love and thanks to anyone who cares to read this."