Donald Trump and his legal team have used Eminem as a reference in their recent filing to dismiss a lawsuit over the January 6 riots.
In documents obtained by AllHipHop on Monday (January 27), Trump cited a “rapper defense” to fight allegations that he incited the infamous riots at the Capitol in 2021. The lawsuit, filed just weeks after the riots by Rep. Bennie Thompson, accuses Trump and far-right groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers of conspiring to obstruct Congress from certifying the 2020 election.
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Thompson specifically cited a violation of the Ku Klux Klan Act, which was designed in 1871 to protect federal officials from conspiracies aimed at obstructing their duties.
After losing an initial dismissal attempt, Trump is appealing, arguing his January 6 speech falls under protected political expression. His lawyers likened his rhetoric to controversial rap lyrics, citing past Supreme Court cases where violent lyrics were deemed artistic expression and not incitement.
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Referencing Eminem’s song “’97 Bonnie & Clyde” without explicitly naming the Detroit legend, Trump’s team wrote: “A rapper rockets to the top of the charts for his aggressive, provocative lyrics that become wildly popular nationwide, particularly among angsty teenagers. He is ranked as one of the most controversial lyricists of all time. Many of his lyrics describe explicit violent acts, including gun violence, rape, and a description of the rapper drowning his wife. While at times, the rapper’s lyrics suggest that his work is not intended to encourage or endorse actual violence, other lyrics suggest the contrary.”
They also highlighted Trump’s call for supporters to protest “peacefully and patriotically” as evidence against claims of incitement.
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“Nothing in President Trump’s speech even came close to the far more incendiary language that the Supreme Court has held to be protected as a matter of law,” they wrote. “President Trump’s January 6 speech…is properly characterized as ‘strong protests against the government and prevailing social order’ – a context that demands the highest deference to speech and protection from censorship.”
A judge has yet to rule.
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Meanwhile, Eminem is not a fan of Trump and actually made a rare public appearance at Kamala Harris’ rally in his hometown of Detroit during the 2024 election.
In a brief speech to the crowd, he said: “People shouldn’t be afraid to express their opinions, and I don’t think anyone wants an America where people are worried about retribution or what people will do if you make your opinion known.
“I think Vice President Harris supports a future for this country where these freedoms and many others will be protected and upheld.”
Em then welcomed former president Barack Obama to the stage, who proceeded to recite the iconic opening lines from the rapper’s 2002 hit “Lose Yourself.”
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Eminem has previously been critical of Donald Trump, famously ripping him in his 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards freestyle and ninth album Revival.
