Natalie Maines doesn’t need a microphone in her hand to raise her voice.
The outspoken singer-songwriter and lead vocalist of The Chicks doubled down on her recent criticism of President Donald Trump in a scathing Instagram post Monday, May 18.
Maines, who claimed her previous rebuke of Trump was removed from the social media platform, seemingly took aim at the Justice Department’s recent announcement of a $1.8 billion fund for “victims of lawfare and weaponization.”
The fund, which stems from a settlement of a $10 billion lawsuit filed by President Trump and his family against the IRS, has received criticism from congressional Democrats, government watchdogs and law enforcement for potentially benefiting Trump’s political allies with taxpayer dollars.
“Our democracy is disappearing right before our eyes,” Maines, 51, wrote alongside a photo of the president. Trump “is using your gas money to pay the insurrectionists.”
“But don’t worry about it. I’m sure posting selfies will fix everything,” Maines continued, before throwing in a jab at Trump’s association with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “Repost and help the message live. Named [1 million] times in the #epsteinfiles.”
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle dismissed Maines’ criticism in a statement to USA TODAY on Thursday, May 21: “Natalie Maines is a despicable nobody who clearly suffers from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted her peanut-sized brain.”
“Trump Derangement Syndrome,” a politically charged insult often used by Trump and his administration against his critics, is a term that characterizes opposition to the president as a psychological impairment. The phrase draws influence from conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer’s previous term, “Bush derangement syndrome.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Maines’ representatives for comment.
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Maines and her band The Chicks are no strangers to political controversy.
Despite rabid popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the music industry and general public virtually blacklisted the group, formerly known as The Dixie Chicks, in 2003 after Maines spoke out against then-President George W. Bush.
Maines, who was on tour in London at the time, told the audience that The Chicks were “ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.” The fallout was venomous: Country music radio turned its back on the group, fans smashed their CDs in front of news cameras and ticket sales dramatically weakened.
Natalie Maines speaks out: The Chicks singer jokes she would ‘make out’ with George W. Bush compared to Trump
While Maines’ stance on Bush hasn’t necessarily softened, the singer shared during a 2020 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” how her view of the former president has changed in light of Trump’s presidency.
“You know, I joke that today I might actually make out with George Bush,” Maines said. “I don’t rethink that I didn’t want to go to war and that weapons of mass destruction were a lie, but, yes, it would be a huge love fest if I saw George Bush right now because of where we’re at with this current president
