Speaking to Mlive, Ted Nugent praised Kid Rock for bringing Bill Maher into a meeting with Donald Trump, saying it represented the kind of open dialogue and mutual respect people should aim for.
Although Nugent doesn’t agree with Maher’s views or lifestyle, such as using marijuana, he believes it’s important to avoid hostility and violence over personal differences. Based on his law enforcement experience, he associates drug use with criminal behavior but acknowledges that disagreements shouldn’t lead to cruelty.
He used hunting as an example, saying that while not everyone needs to hunt, those who oppose it often try to prevent others from doing so. He argued that stopping legal hunting would lead to costly government action to manage wildlife populations, which could have been handled by responsible hunters.
Nugent felt that the meeting Kid Rock arranged between Maher and Trump was a strong example of how people with opposing views can still engage respectfully.
Shifting away from politics, Nugent reflected on his music career. With over 7,000 performances, he described being on stage as a uniquely positive experience. For him, the energy of the crowd, full of joy, excitement, and dancing, captures the spirit of his decades-long celebration of music.
“What he did in bringing Maher into the Trump realm is an indicator of what we all should (aspire) to. I don’t think people should smoke dope, but I’m not going to beat you up if you do. As a cop, the raids that I’ve done with the U.S. Marshalls, every criminal was either high or stoned. Every one of them!”
“So, we can have our differences, but it has to stop at violence and cruelty. If you don’t want to hunt, don’t. But the people who are against hunting want to stop me from doing it, and if they succeed in that, your tax dollars will have to go to killing deer and other animals that I failed to kill because you wouldn’t let me. It’s ‘Planet of the Apes’ cuckoo’s nest stuff.”
“The meeting that Rock orchestrated between Maher and our President was maybe the greatest indicator of how conflicting sides should be respectful towards each other.”
“This year I’ll surpass 7,000 concerts and performances for my career. The most gratifying celebration of all is that every audience is smiling and laughing, fists in the air, the girls are dancing; it is the ultimate positive zone created by all of the musical influences in my life. That’s what my 50th anniversary celebration is all about.”
