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During his sold-out show in Detroit, Mich. on Saturday (July 13), George Strait appeared to reference the alleged assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump.
Just hours after a gunman opened fire at a Trump campaign rally, injuring the former president and killing a spectactor, Strait took the stage at Detroit’s Ford Field on a bill that also included Chris Stapleton.
As he introduced his song “The Weight of the Badge” — which celebrates police officers and other first responders — Strait gave a special hat-tip to any law enforcement officers at the show.
“This song we’re gonna do especially for all you men and women out there that wear the badge,” Strait said from the stage, according to video filmed from the audience. “[To say] how much we appreciate you.
“Thank you for coming when we need you. We appreciate that very much, especially after today,” he added.
“The Weight of the Badge” comes off Strait’s 2019 Honky Tonk Time Machine album, and it’s one of his most popular new songs. Still, the crowd gave the song an even more rousing welcome than usual in light of the shooting, and chants of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” could be heard ringing throughout the stadium.
Related: Donald Trump Injured in Shooting: Country Stars React
Strait didn’t explicitly mention Trump or the shooting, but according to the Detroit Free Press, the incident was on concertgoers’ minds, as the first reports began coming in while fans were filing to their seats.
What Do We Know About the Shooting at Donald Trump’s Campaign Rally?
- On Saturday (July 13), as Donald Trump was speaking at a campaign rally for his 2024 U.S. presidential bid, shots rang out and Trump ducked down under the podium.
- He was photographed with a bloodied ear, but his injuries appeared minor as he was whisked away by United States Secret Service.
- The incident is being investigated as an assassination attempt.
- In a statement he released shortly afterwards, Trump recalled hearing a “whizzing sound” and feeling “the bullet ripping through the skin.”
- The shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa. Crooks was killed by Secret Service members at the rally. No motive was immediately available.
- A press statement from the Secret Service indicates that one spectator was killed in the shooting, and two others are critically injured.
- The statement also indicates that the alleged shooter fired multiple shots from an elevated position outside the venue.