Deadmau5 has slammed 3LAU for playing at President Donald Trump‘s inauguration earlier this week, calling him a “nepo pissbaby”.
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3LAU appeared as part of the festivities, alongside the likes of Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus and Village People, as Trump was sworn in as President of the United States once again on Monday (January 20).
Reflecting on the experience on Wednesday (January 22), the EDM musician took to Instagram to write: “5 days ago the @potus team reached out cause they needed a DJ for inauguration afters. Playing Starlight Ball was not on my 2025 bingo card, but i mean wow, what an honor. I was so nervous, and only got to play for 30 min but holy ****. Achievement unlocked.”
It didn’t go down well, with many in the comments criticising him for supporting Trump’s administration. Among those expressing their disapproval was fellow DJ Deadmau5, who hit back with a scathing comment.
“Here’s the best takeaway, not a single person in that entire dumbfuck administration has ever known who the fuck you were, cared about you, or even gives the remotest shit about you, and you certainly won’t be remembered by any of em,” he wrote. “But everyone in this business will remember that you stood behind nazis and convicted felons who would further marginalize the very people who gave you a platform.
bodied him lmao deadmau5 is the goat pic.twitter.com/1ng2mS4guS
— not not chet (top secret) (@notnotchet) January 24, 2025
“What very little respect I had for you is gone,” he continued. “So glad you got some drink tickets out of the deal, enjoy them, you nepo pissbaby.”
He then added another comment, writing: “Whats next @3lau ? A Jeffrey Epstein tribute show with bassnectar and datsik?”
3LAU then responded to the criticism on X/Twitter, saying: “While I anticipated some pushback, the intensity of the response has been far greater than I expected.”
“A matter of fact: I am a proud American,” he continued. “The freedoms we have in this country make it possible for me to pursue my passions — whether as a founder, a CEO, or a musician.
“My pride should not be used as a vessel for other people’s anger. This is exactly the behavior that has divided us. I am unwavering in my decision to focus my music and my work on things that continue to push our country forward. This might not always align with a single party, but progress comes from working together, not against each other.”
3LAU then added that he stands by his choice, and wrote: “For the record, I am grateful to participate in our democracy.”
As many of you know, I had the honor of performing at the @POTUS Inauguration Ball.
Since then, I’ve received backlash from several prominent members of the music community. While I anticipated some pushback, the intensity of the response has been far greater than I expected.
— BLAU (@3LAU) January 25, 2025
He’s not the only artist to experience backlash for associating themselves with Trump’s inauguration. Jewel recently addressed criticism for her appearance, saying she wants to be a “ray of light in this world”.
Elsewhere, Carrie Underwood, who sang ‘America the Beautiful’ following Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, came under fire for performing at the event. Whoopi Goldberg later defended her decision but added that she would not be watching.
Snoop Dogg and Soulja Boy also played at the Crypto Ball alongside Nelly, who issued his own response to the backlash, calling it “an honour” to perform at the ceremony.
During the inauguration events, Elon Musk gave a speech expressing his delight at Trump’s victory, before slapping his chest with his right hand and extending his arm diagonally upwards with the palm facing down. The X/Twitter owner then turned around to crowd members behind the podium and repeated the gesture.
Many people have compared the gesture to a Nazi salute, including My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero, who wrote: “Fuck this guy and every single person supporting this shit or wasting any kind of breath attempting to defend it,” he wrote in the caption, before adding: “Your true colours are shining through. #SmashHate.”
Some Reddit communities have now begun to introduce a ban on links to X/Twitter in protest of Musk.
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