Last week, following the pro-Trump riots that culminated in a violent attack on the nation’s capitol, indie music fans were surprised to learn that Ariel Pink had been in DC during the tumultuous events. Though Pink claims he wasn’t part of the violent mob that overtook the capitol building, armed with flex cuffs, a gallows, and chants threatening the murder of high-ranking officials, he did confirm he was there to support Trump. For many people who oppose the president’s policies and actions over the last four years, that support alone was reason to cut ties, and Pink was unceremoniously dropped by his label, Mexican Summer, a few days later.
This made him a subject of interest for Republican talk show host, Tucker Carlson, a Fox News star who had Pink on his show tonight to talk about the fallout. In a brief clip from the show making the rounds on Twitter, Pink almost breaks down talking about how his life has changed since attending the riot. “There’s no, kind of, I don’t know man. I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he stumbles. “You had no choice, basically, if you want to tell your story,” Tucker prods him. Pink picks that talking point up echoing “I had no choice. I had no choice. There’s nothing else for me to do. I can’t even afford my lawyer right now, so…”
Tucker follows up again: “Last question, what do you think the purpose of all this is?” As though the backlash to the violent mob was the driving event in the consequences for his actions that Pink is now facing. To that, Ariel offers another garbled response: “I think there’s been a very big effort to unseat the president,” he begins. “Or at least, not let him have four more years. Which I think is fair. I mean he lost, and I think he lost fairly. I’m not disputing anything. Biden is perfectly fine with me as president. But I think that there was just no — I think that they’re still scared or something like that. I think that they’re sore winners, at this point. People seem to want to kick me down as well. Much like they have Trump, kick us down when we’re down. I believe that they’re, I don’t even know what, I don’t know what the future is with regards to Trump, but I think, you know, I don’t know. I don’t want to comment on that.”
Tucker seizes on the most legible soundbite from that: “They’re sore winners.”
If “they” means supporters of Biden and a legally conducted election and “scared or something like that” means “worried about violent mobs disrupting the peaceful transition of power and violating the very foundation of democracy,” then I suppose I do agree with Pink on that one point. Check out the entire interview below.
