Cody Johnson gave a passionate, non-partisan, spontaneous political speech in July, when former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear, while campaigning for another term as president. It was an unplanned, heartfelt message from Johnson, who urged people on both sides of the political spectrum to make their voices heard on election day.
More than three months after he spoke out, the father of two is still just as passionate about maintaining peace and civility, regardless of which political party someone aligns themself with.
“Division is like a bad drug,” Johnson shared with Everything Nash and other outlets at a recent media event. “It’s an epidemic in our country. It’s either black or white, or it’s left or right. Look, it’s red, white and blue. Men and women for the entirety of the existence of our country, have sacrificed their lives on our soil, and on foreign soil, for us to have the right to disagree. That’s what politics is. We’re supposed to disagree on policy. We’re supposed to disagree on a lot of things.”
Johnson admits he is discouraged and disappointed by the hatred and vitriol that flows freely from both political parties, which seems to only get worse with each election.
“One thing that I think that we’ve gotten away from in this country is ‘In God We Trust’ and ‘United We Stand,'” Johnson reflects. “It’s okay to be different cultural backgrounds. It’s okay to be different races. It’s okay to have different incomes. It’s okay to vote for this person or this person. What’s not okay to me is when we think as a country that there are two sides. And the fact that someone in this day and age would think it’s okay to pick up a gun and take a shot at someone … Come on, we’re not electing Adolf Hitler. Let’s be serious, on either side. At the end of the day, no matter who is elected president, they’re still the President of the United States.”
The Texan freely admits that he did not vote for the current President, but that didn’t keep him from respecting Biden as the leader of the country.
“I didn’t vote for Joe Biden. But Joe Biden is the United States President, and I respect that office because of the men and women who died for that office,” Johnson says. “It’s a very passionate thing of mine. In my grandfather’s era, they didn’t talk about who they voted for, because that was your God-given right as an American, to go into your booth. That’s why there are cubicles … That’s your own private information, the same way that how you worship God is your information. That’s how your walk is.
“I’m not going to tell you, ‘Well I’m a Methodist and you’re a Baptist, so we ought to hate each other,'” he adds. “That’s not the way it goes. And I think we’ve just gotten into too much of a habit in America of choosing division over unity, and I think it’s time to change that.”
Johnson currently has a Top 40 hit for his “I’m Gonna Love You” duet with Carrie Underwood. The song is part of his Leather Deluxe Edition, out on November 1. Johnson is currently on his Leather Tour, and will embark on his global Leather Deluxe Tour on January 17. Find music and tour dates at CodyJohnsonMusic.com.