Tate McRae has been at the centre of controversy surrounding her political views, and a recent interview with Variety has left fans with more questions than answers over whether she’s a supporter of the “Make America Great America” movement.
Questions about the 23-year-old Canadian pop star’s political leanings emerged following a collaboration with U.S. country singer Morgan Wallen, and later peaked when she promoted Team USA during the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The singer is also rumoured to be in a relationship with American NHL star Jack Hughes, who visited U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House after he scored the gold medal-winning goal against Canada in men’s hockey at the Olympics last February.
According to McRae, it’s “pretty obvious” what kind of people she supports.
“I like to say my piece through organizations I support and the environment that I have on tour,” she told Variety, pointing to her work with LGBTQ2S+ nonprofits.
“I hope that my fans can see that through the things that I’m putting my energy towards.”.
McRae faced a massive backlash and was branded a MAGA supporter last year after she duetted with Wallen, who has never outright endorsed Trump or offered support for the U.S. Republican party.
However, the country music star has faced intense criticism after TMZ released a video in 2021 of Wallen using a racial slur standing outside his home in Nashville.
Earlier this year, McRae faced more criticism and was accused of being a “traitor” after she starred in an NBC advertisement of the 2026 U.S. Winter Olympics team.
“Girl, we are Canadian, we do NOT cheer for team USA at winter sports, especially during times like these!!!,” one comment on McRae’s Instagram page said.
“Tate McRae doing a promo for NBC and Team USA for the Olympics and not Canada has me a bit sad but OK,” sports journalist Jordan Cicchelli posted on her X feed:
The Olympic controversy led to some speculation that McRae was switching sides, partly due to her rumoured romance with Hughes, whose team also came under scrutiny for laughing at a joke made by Trump toward the U.S. women’s hockey team during a congratulatory call after their Olympic victory.
Hughes has since defended the choice to visit the White House.
“Everything is so political. We’re athletes. We’re so proud to represent the U.S. and we get the chance to go to the White House, meet the president. You know, we’re proud to be Americans,” he told the Daily Mail.
McRae responded to the online criticism on Instagram last February with a photo of herself as a child, holding a Canadian flag, with the caption: “...y’all know I’m Canada down.”
Meanwhile, McRae told Variety that a lot is riding on her performance at the upcoming Osheaga Festival in Montreal. It is her first time performing at a festival in Canada.
“For me, the way to do that is try to beat your last performance, try to beat your last song, try to grow, evolve, pick it apart, rip it apart, figure out what didn’t work, what I didn’t like about that performance, what I could have done better, why I was nervous, figure out how to not be nervous,” McRae told the publication.
With files from CTV News’ Stephen Hunt, The Canadian Press
