Politically active musician Ted Nugent spoke to WABC Radio’s “Curtis & Eboni,” claiming that following the attack on GOP congressmen at a baseball practice session in Virginia, he doesn’t want to be a part of “hateful” political rhetoric any more.
“I cannot and I will not and I encourage even my friends/enemies on the left in the Democrat and liberal world that we got to be more civil to each other,” Nugent said. “The whole world is watching America where you have the God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And we have to be more respectful to the other side.”
He continued and said, “I’m gonna take a deep breath, and I’m gonna back down. And if it gets fiery, if it gets hateful, I’m going away and I’m not gonna engage in that hateful rhetoric anymore.”
The musician also said that he was very frustrated and hyped up about the political climate when engaging in controversial rhetoric, including his previous remarks directed towards former President Obama and Hillary Clinton.
“I’m not trying to make excuses, but when I made those wild a** comments on stage against then-Senator Hillary Clinton and then-Senator Barack Obama, I don’t know if you can grasp the degree of adrenaline and intensity and over-the-top animal spirit and attitude that I live on stage,” he said.
He added that going further, “I will avoid anything that can be interpreted as condoning or referencing violence.”
Nugent has previously suggested that Clinton should suck his machine gun. He also called Obama a “sub-human mongrel.” During the 2016 presidential election, he called on Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to “eat shit and die.”
