Snoop Dogg Still Under Fire Over Trump Performance as Fans Accuse Him of Playing Both Sides for a Check
After recently rubbing shoulders with a familiar political wildcard, Snoop Dogg has pivoted back to California power players in a move that’s turning heads.
The West Coast rapper appears to have switched sides after being accused of “tap-dancing” for Donald Trump, now turning up alongside Trump rival Gavin Newsom.
Snoop Dogg, a former critic of Trump, caught heat for performing at the president’s re-election pre-inauguration party earlier this year.
He and Newsom are now suddenly aligned on a Hollywood-friendly mission, teaming up to spotlight California’s Film & Television Tax Credit program. Not long after, the governor revealed that Snoop’s upcoming biopic landed one of those coveted tax credits, allowing the project to stay rooted in California.
The film was shot in Long Beach — Snoop’s hometown — a detail he made sure to highlight while publicly thanking Newsom, a moment that didn’t go unnoticed given the rapper’s recent political detours.
“Big love to the California Film Commission and Gov. Newsom for holdin’ it down
with that tax credit,” the rapper said. “Y’all making it possible for us to tell my story right here where it all began. California raised me, inspired me, and now helpin’ bring this biopic to life in 2026. Much respect that’s real teamwork, ya dig… Snoop Dogg.”
Newsom shared Snoop’s comment online with a caption that reads, “Congratulations to @universalpictures’ Snoop Dogg biopic for receiving a California Film Tax Credit after @cagovernor Gavin Newsom expanded the program — supporting good-paying, quality jobs and keeping iconic stories rooted in the Golden State!”
This partnership highlights the state’s efforts to retain film production in California, but fans quickly brought up Snoop’s performance at Trump’s party, and things went south with the quickness.
Despite his partnership with the California governor — who is beloved for trolling Trump on social media — fans are still saying the “Gin and Juice” artist is a “sellout.”
“Takes money from the Republicans when it suits him, takes money from the Democrats when it suits him. It’s pay to play for Snoop,” noted one fan. Another fan said the artist “sold out.”
“Nah, Snoop sold out to MAGA,” agreed another.
Other responses were even more blunt in their critique of the artist. “Boo…he bent the knee and licked the orange taint for a little coin. Sad,” replied one user.
“Ffffff Snoop and his biography! He’s a sellout to our democracy and deserves no accolades, only scorn and disrespect,” added another.
Another fan declared that they were no longer one, so to speak. “Meh. Okay. But we’re done w snoop. There’s no coming back once you go that far over the MAGA line.”
Snoop — whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr. — performed at Trump’s Crypto Ball for Trump’s presidential pre-inauguration events on Jan. 17.
Broadus was interviewed after he was selected as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2025, and he defended his performance by blaming it on business and quid pro quos.
“I want you to frame it like I’ll do anything if I own the brand,” he said. “That’s a big difference. So [for] me marketing and branding for a company, if I don’t own it, I ain’t f–king with it. You can pay me, but that ain’t all we doing. We gonna make sure you take care of this community initiative that I have. And it could be silent or it can be loud, but that’s a part of the deal as well.”
His shift surprised who were aware of how vocal he was against Trump and anyone who supported him. “F-ck y’all then nigga. F-ck Kanye too, n-gga. Don’t forget about him,” Snoop said in 2022.
In an Instagram Live video taken in 2017, he blasted anyone who considered performing at Trump’s first inauguration.
“Which one of you jigga-boo a– n-ggas gon’ be the first one to do it? ‘m waiting, I’m gone roast the f-ck out of you Uncle Tom ass n-ggas for doing it. Which one of you n-ggas is gon’ do it first? ‘I’s be the one that perform for him sir.’”
Well Snoopy aka Snoop Dogg is now tap dancing for Massa Trump in the white house #TikTok #Trumpcoin pic.twitter.com/qUOinvaFyS
— Jaxn Briggs (@JaxnBriggs) January 20, 2025
The vibe shift is real 😂 https://t.co/DjH5LRsL8N
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 19, 2025
“The vibe shift is real,” wrote Elon Musk, clowning Snoop. But the tables have now turned.
Though Snoop isn’t alone. Artists across genres have faced backlash for associating with Trump, regardless of race. Lil Wayne and Ice Cube were also dragged online for engaging with Trump’s camp, even when they framed it as business or policy-driven. Kanye West’s public support fractured his fan base and relationships, leading to his brief decline in music.
On the other side, white artists like Kid Rock and even country singer Carrie Underwood, who both faced criticism and backlash from their own fan base for also performing at Trump’s parties. The pattern is consistent: once music and Trump intersect, audiences react fast and rarely forgive.
