NEW YORK CITY– Rapper Vic Mensa slammed Donald Trump’s “repulsive” response to the Orlando massacre at a gay nightclub and said that with a candidate such as Trump on the Republican side, the “idea of being too jaded” to vote is “incredibly dangerous.”
Calling Trump “disgusting,” Mensa expanded on his social media critique of Trump that he unleashed this week and said that the billionaire mogul’s response to the Orlando massacre cemented his belief that Americans cannot allow Trump to become president.
The Grammy-nominated rapper’s new EP, “There’s a Lot Going On,” includes songs like “16 shots” which addresses the shooting death of Chicago teenager LaQuan McDonald at the hands of police, “Shades of Blue” which addresses the Flint water crisis and “Track” in which Mensa opens up about his own struggles with addiction, depression and anxiety.
“In this election it’s very possible that we’re literally voting to save our lives and the lives of people that we love,” Mensa told CNN. “The hateful messages that Donald Trump is putting out into the world can only bring hate back. Hate begets hate. Violence begets violence.”
The outspoken Chicago rapper was especially turned off by Trump tweeting, “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!” on Sunday morning after the shooting.
“This is why we can’t let Donald Trump be president. We have to stop vicious & violent hate b4 its too late,” Mensa tweeted, along with a news article about the shooting.
But after receiving some backlash on social media from those who thought Mensa was blaming Trump for the shooting, Mensa tweeted, “I’m not blaming the shooting on Trump. But the hateful rhetoric he preaches and the type of supporters he attracts inflame these issues.”
In the days following the mass shooting Trump renewed his call for an indefinite ban on Muslims entering the United States and doubled down on his call for surveillance of U.S. mosques.
“His hateful messages and the idea of banning all Muslims — that just alienates people and makes them feel unwanted,” Mensa said, “and that is making the idea of ISIS and terrorist attacks like this more attractive to people who think society doesn’t want them.”
Citing the fact that the Orlando killer was born in New York, Mensa said that a Muslim ban would not have prevented the Orlando massacre, while stricter gun control measures could have prevented the tragedy.
“I think gun control is a solution to the problem,” Mensa said, adding that the Orlando gunman should not have been able to purchase the AR-15 he used to carry out the murders, especially after having been investigated by the FBI for making statements about terrorism.
“AR-15’s and assault weapons have no place on our streets because there’s no practical use for them other than killing other human being,” Mensa said.
Mensa said that while “People will be murderers with or without guns,” without assault weapons, a killer would not be able to kill so many so quickly.
“What’s a murderer with no gun to do in Pulse nightclub? He’s not killing 50 people with a knife,” Mensa said.
Mensa will be voting for Hillary Clinton this fall, who called for reinstating a ban on assault weapons.
“I am a Hillary fan right now because it’s important that we be decisive,” Mensa said, adding, “The things that Hillary stands for, at this point in time, I think, are a lot more beneficial for us than the things Donald Trump stands for.”
