Detroit thrash rappers Insane Clown Posse are unhappy with The Atlantic for comparing their followers to Donald Trump’s in a recently-published editorial that not only compared Trumpists to ICP’s fanbase but also coined the term “Trumpalos,” combining the self-chosen name for ICP’s fans with Trump’s most hardcore supporters. Violent J, one half of Insane Clown Posse, spoke up in defense of the band and the Juggalos, texting Huffington Post his dissent to The Atlantic‘s opinion.
“I can’t believe TheAtlantic.com would hire a writer, presumably for his expertise in journalism who’s that off the mark, as well as an editor for his or her fact-checking abilities who obviously lives within a reality separate from our own when it comes to defining who Juggalos truly are and what they’re about,” he wrote. In a follow-up text, he expressed his disappointment in the characterization of the Juggalos as violent in The Atlantic, writing, “The truth is it fuckin’ hurts and [it’s] scary seeing professional adults acting like savage bullies,” and noting that ICP fans make “easy targets because they’re so misunderstood.”
He was also disappointed in “sad little bullshit like this makes me question the media in general and [lose] a little faith in just about [everything] I f*ckin read!”
The offending passage, penned by Graeme Wood and titled “What to Do With Trumpists,” called the Trump administration “the political equivalent of the Insane Clown Posse,” writing:
At noon tomorrow, our four-year experiment in being governed by the political equivalent of the Insane Clown Posse will finally end. It is ending in Juggalo style (some have called it “Trumpalo”), violently and pointlessly, with a handful of deaths, the smearing of various bodily fluids, and a riot on the way out. After any bacchanal of this magnitude, the sober dawn is almost as disorienting as the hysteria itself—and the most urgent task, after wiping the shit from the Capitol hallways, is to prevent a repeat performance.
The Juggalos’ reputation has been tainted over the years due to the FBI listing the group as a gang, with self-identified Juggalos involved in violent crimes. However, they’ve been characterized by journalists at their annual Gathering Of The Juggalos as “sometimes comically friendly.” The 2020 Gathering was canceled by the band due to the pandemic, in stark contrast to Trump’s rally tour.
