It has been a whirlwind of controversy for Amber Rose, who recently revealed her support for former President Donald Trump's reelection. The SlutWalk creator amplified her position by making a bewildering appearance at the Republican National Convention. During her speech, she explained why she moved from being a liberal-leaning voter to bidding for Trump's presidency. “I’m no politician, and I don’t wanna be, but I do care about the truth, and the truth is that the media has lied to us about Donald Trump,” she said. “I know this because, for a long time, I believed those lies.”
“I believed the left-wing propaganda that Donald Trump was a racist," Rose added. She also "realized Donald Trump and his supporters don’t care if you’re Black, white, gay or straight. It’s all love. And that’s when it hit me: These are my people. This is where I belong.” Her comments were met by applause and MAGA right-wingers holding up Trump signs in the crowd. However, those familiar with Rose's career weren't as enthused. On social media, users ran rampant with questions about Rose's past and involvement in Black culture. She has been a stark feminist and supported Black Lives Matter, two hot-button topics that Trump and the Republican party have denounced. This has left many confused and questioning the validity of her backing the controversial businessman-turned-reality television star-turned-politician.
Here, we've gathered quotes from Amber Rose that show her principles that previously did not align with Donald Trump's thoughts, feelings, statements, and policies. Although Rose has not detailed exactly how and why she shifted ideologies, her former statements seemingly contradict much of what Trump has shared publicly with his constituents and the world. Of course, this list of polarities isn't exhaustive, but it does touch on several issues at the forefront of American politics.
On Feminism & Supporting Women's Rights
In 2016, TIME interviewed Rose, and she shared her thoughts on standing for and being against shaming women. "I love to stick up for women, I love to be the voice for the voiceless. You know, there’s all different kinds of feminists," the pro-choice advocate said. "I don’t hate men; I love men, most of my team are men, and most of my friends are men, actually. So it’s not about having more girlfriends, but it’s about embracing their beauty and other women’s sexuality and going to them and telling them that they’re beautiful." She added, "Women are very capable of being sexual beings as well. If you can make a lot of female friends, that’s amazing and if you can’t, try not to slut shame or judge each other."
Meanwhile, Trump has made statements about women and feminism that have given his detractors pause. “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything," he infamously said in a leaked recording from Access Hollywood back in 2005. "Grab them by the p*ssy. You can do anything.” In a 1991 interview with Esquire, he also said, "It doesn’t really matter what (the media) write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.”
Later, in 2016, during a town hall with MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Trump expressed his support to ban abortions and women's right to choose. Not only that, he said "there has to be some form of punishment" for women who sought or had the procedure. When asked about a man who got a woman pregnant, Trump didn't have a concrete answer. Yet, he did say that under the law, men should not be disciplined the same as women.
On Black Lives Matter & Police Brutality
Rose to TIME: "I feel like that’s the world that we always lived in, it’s just been brought to light with social media and Facebook Live and things going viral. You know, when people say 'All Lives Matter,' yes, all lives do matter. But when you have an entire race saying, 'You know when you say All Lives Matter, do you mean Black Lives Matter too?' Because it doesn’t seem like it. It doesn’t seem like it at all. The way that they shot and killed these men this past week was horrifying because that could be anybody’s son. That could have been my son, my uncles. It hits so close to home and that’s why people are so angry because these were good guys. They never hurt anybody, it’s just sad."
Those sentiments have not been shared by Trump, who has traveled from one side of America to the other, speaking at his rallies. Whether on stage in front of a cheering crowd of MAGA fans, in interviews with the media, or online, Trump has vehemently denounced BLM. "They are not 'peaceful protesters,' as Sleepy Joe and the Democrats call them, they are THUGS," he tweeted in September 2020 during the throws of protests against police brutality. He added that if any of the Black Lives Matter protesters came close to the White House, they would be met with extreme violence. "They would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen," he reportedly said. "That's when people would have been really badly hurt, at least."
On LGBTQIA+ Rights & Fatphobia
"I'm Pro Black af, Pro LGBTQ af, Pro Hoe, Pro Sex Work, Pro Choice," Rose wrote on Instagram in 2020. "If ur Fatphobic, Transphobic, or ever screamed 'All Lives Matter,' get the f*ck off my page." However, in March 2024, while speaking at a rally in Iowa, Trump gave a differing point of view. Forbes reported that he promised to "'cut federal funding' for schools pushing 'critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.'" Further, Trump's newly chosen running mate, JD Vance, has a long history of anti-LGBTQIA views, according to NBC News and beyond.
Moreover, a protest erupted During Trump's 2020 rally in New Hampshire. He saw a man involved in the altercation and targeted his weight. “That guy’s got a serious weight problem. Go home," said Trump, not realizing he was speaking about his own MAGA supporter. "Start exercising. Get him out of here, please. Got a bigger problem than I do. Got a bigger problem than all of us. Now he goes home, and his mom says, ‘What the hell have you just done?’” Trump has also made disparaging statements about actress Rosie O'Donnell and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, targeting their weight.
On Sexual Assault
Trump's Access Hollywood comments took the world by storm, and upon the reveal of the leaked audio, Rose sat down with Yahoo! Style to share her thoughts. "I want him to get in trouble for it because I cannot even count how many times a famous guy touched me inappropriately. Seriously,” Rose stated in 2016. “Imagine this: Donald Trump comes and touches me inappropriately, right? I’m a regular ass girl. Do I call 911? Do I get on Twitter and tweet about it? How should I go about letting people know that this guy did it to me and who’s actually going to believe me, you know what I’m saying?”
Last year, Donald Trump went to trial after columnist E. Jean Carroll accused him of rape. A jury found him liable for a lesser charge of sexual abuse, awarding Carroll over $5 million in damages. She also sued him for defamation; for those cases, she was granted over $88 million, per The Associated Press. Trump is appealing both verdicts.
In 2016, a woman named Jessica Leeds also made allegations against the former president. She told The New York Times that sometime in the 1970s, she was on a flight when she ran into Trump. Leeds claimed she did not know Trump personally, but he allegedly "was like an octopus" and reached his hand under her skirt. Moreover, she accused him of grabbing her breasts. His "hands were everywhere," she stated, forcing her to move to another area of the aircraft. At least a dozen women have come forward with sexual assault allegations against Trump. He has continued to adamantly deny any wrongdoing.
