Clay Aiken’s mom is apparently voting for Donald Trump even though he fired her son on national TV at the end of the Celebrity Apprentice on NBC .
While his mother seems to be overcoming her misgivings about the presidential hopeful, Clay Aiken himself finds Trump “terrifying.”
Trump’s famous catchphrase is or was “You’re Fired,” except for the last man or woman standing who instead hears, “You’re Hired,” although the celebrity version of the long-running reality show is all about raising money for charity rather than actually going to work for one of The Donald’s many business ventures.
Aiken was the runner-up to Arsenio Hall in Season 5 of Celebrity Apprentice . The winner and loser were announced by Trump in the live season finale on May 20, 2012.
Aiken also finished in second place in American Idol to Ruben Studdard in 2003, the show that launched his singing career.
On CNN yesterday afternoon, Aiken, a Democrat, revealed his mother’s voting preference in the upcoming North Carolina Primary on March 15, Politico reported.
“I mean, my mother — votes Republican typically, she’s not necessarily thrilled with Donald Trump as a candidate because he fired me on Apprentice . She watched the debates, the most recent debate, and decided, and a number of people in North Carolina who I’ve spoken to have decided, to vote for Trump because the establishment is attacking him and they’re tired of typical politicians. A lot of the people who are supporting Trump are supporting him because he’s not a typical — he’s not a typical politician.”
In a blog essay on the Huffington Post , Aiken wrote , in part, that “And while Trump is legitimately terrifying, I would argue that the rise of outside politicians like Trump and Sanders may ultimately be a good thing for our country.”
Aiken also had some good things to sayabout Trump over the summer when the billionaire’s presidential campaign was in its early stages.
Although primarily known as an entertainer, Aiken is no stranger to politics, as he was a first-time candidate for Congress in 2014.
Clay Aiken says on CNN his mother is voting for Trump because he fights the establishment, even tho he fired Clay on “The Apprentice.”
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) March 8, 2016
Despite his apparent high name recognition, Aiken lost badly to incumbent Republican Renee Ellmers, a surgical nurse and a former clinical director in a medical practice, in the election for North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District.
Congresswoman Ellmers’ margin of victory was about 17 points in the GOP-leaning district.
In May 2014, Aiken’s primary opponent died suddenly , thereby making Aiken the Democrat nominee by default. Election officials were still tabulating the ballots, with Aiken leading by a few hundred votes, when rival Keith Crisco sadly passed away.
Esquire TV filmed a four-hour miniseries about Aiken’s failed campaign, although it’s unclear if very many people actually watched it. The series also prompted criticism from some campaign donors on the west coast that the run for office may have been more about another reality show than getting elected.
Although Aiken himself probably won’t vote for Trump, given their ideological differences, the New York business mogul seems to be receiving support from other Apprenticeex-contestants, including Omarosa, Jesse James, and Dennis Rodman.
Moreover, after the first GOP debate and the Trump-Megyn Kelly controversy , cast member Brande Roderick defended Donald Trump against charges of misogyny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E6BZKDlKXU
Former Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees Star Johnny Damon, also a Celebrity Apprentice alumni, is supporting Trump , according to the New York Daily News .
“I want [Trump] for president. I’m a Trump fan ever since I met him seven or eight years ago. Everything he does, he does first-class — his hotels, his businesses, his golf courses. The issues all the other politicians failed to discuss, [Trump] is bringing us up to speed…Everyone is calling him a racist. He just wants people to come into this country legally and fill out the proper paperwork. That’s how I’m viewing it…He’s trying to make the country great. We’re worrying too much about what’s going on in Cuba, the Middle East. We have enough to worry about here.”
Donald Trump won big in Michigan, Mississippi, and Hawaii last night and continues as the Republican presidential front-runner despite ongoing opposition from the GOP establishment.
Clay Aiken’s three high-profile losses were deemed the “triple frown” by The Daily Caller .
[Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP]