Cody Johnson sang the national anthem at the MLB All-Star Game in his home state of Texas on Tuesday night, July 16, nailing his performance. Johnson’s “Star-Spangled Banner” rendition came less than a week after he used his time on stage at the Windy City Smokeout in Chicago on Saturday, July 13 to denounce the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
“Here’s what I’ve got to say about it, and I hope you’ll hear me out. I mean, it’s my microphone; I can say what I want to, right?” Johnson began. “The fact that any American citizen would think that what they did today would solve a problem in this country is absolutely disgusting. You want to solve a problem in this country? On Election Day, go in there and vote for who you want. You know why? Because before most of you were born, an American soldier died for you to have the right to disagree with someone.”
The 37-year-old, by his own admission, has become weary of the divisiveness in the country, which is what prompted his passionate speech.
“I’m tired of the hatred,” Johnson remarked. “I’m tired of the division. I’m tired of people talking about Trump and Biden. There’s people in this crowd that agree with Trump. There’s people in this crowd that agree with Biden. Guess what. That is your God-given American right to believe whatever you want. That right was bought with sacrifice. Sacrifice from a dead police officer. Sacrifice from a dead firefighter. A dead soldier that went over and said, ‘You know what? I’m gonna die for something bigger.’
“So I don’t give a damn who you vote for,” he added. “And I don’t give a damn about how you feel about what’s on the news. There’s only three things I give a damn about tonight. You listening to me? They are red, white and blue.”
You’ll get chills listening to Cody Johnson talk about the assassination attempt of Donald Trump.
He said what EVERY PATRIOTIC AMERICAN IS FEELING. pic.twitter.com/WKse3R6Zfd
— Chad Prather (@WatchChad) July 15, 2024
Johnson just released the video for his Top 10 single, “Dirt Cheap.” The song is from his latest Leather album.
“That’s one of my favorites,” Johnson told Yahoo, speaking of “Dirt Cheap.” “The first time I heard it I cried because I’m a cattle rancher. I breed roping horses and we work on a ranch in Texas and it is a lot. I’ve made a joke ever since we bought this ranch. I told my wife, ‘I hope you love this house because I’m never moving. I’ve already got the oak tree picked out where I’m going to be buried.’
“Being on that cattle ranch and having those places you hold dearly, to have the memories of your kids and your horses and dogs and your wife, that’s a big deal,” he continued. “So I really related to that song. I took that song to the first five toughest guys I know and played it for them, and they all cried, so I said, “Well we’ve got a winner here.”
Johnson’s performance came one day after Ingrid Andress sang the same song, later apologizing for her poor performance, which she said was because she was intoxicated, and entering rehab to overcome her addiction.
Ashley McBryde will join Johnson for the fall dates on his Leather Tour. Find all of his music and upcoming shows at CodyJohnsonMusic.com.