Tate McRae is addressing questions about MAGA affiliations after her country music collaboration and her reported relationship with NHL star Jack Hughes both drew political attention, as reported by Fox News.
McRae, 23, teamed with Morgan Wallen last year on “What I Want,” the fifth single from his album “I’m the Problem.” The song opened at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became her first song to reach the top of that chart.
The attention did not stop with the song. Her reported relationship with Hughes also became part of the conversation after he joined teammates and laughed at a joke made by President Trump during a congratulatory call for their Olympic hockey win.
Tate McRae addresses being labeled MAGA after her duet with Morgan Wallen and her alleged relationship with Jack Hughes:
“I think it’s pretty obvious what kind of person I am and the things I support. And I hope that my fans can see that through the things that I’m putting my… pic.twitter.com/fKWLfOzDoN
— Variety (@Variety) August 3, 2026
When Variety asked why it mattered for the “You Broke Me First” singer to move around those conversations carefully, McRae pointed to her conduct rather than making a broad political statement.
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“I like to say my piece through organizations I support and the environment that I have on tour,” she said.
Variety noted that McRae posted a TikTok last year promoting a “Little Miss Possessive” sweatshirt. Proceeds from that sweatshirt went to the Global Fund for Women and The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention nonprofit for LGBTQ+ youth.
“I think it’s pretty obvious what kind of person I am and the things I support. And I hope that my fans can see that through the things that I’m putting my energy towards.”
Tate McRae talks to Variety about choosing not to comment on being labelled as a ‘MAGA supporter’:
“I like to say my piece through organizations I support and the environment that I have on tour, I think it’s pretty obvious what kind of person I am and the things I support. And… pic.twitter.com/hRmEHLAdgA
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 3, 2026
McRae also made clear that she tries to protect her private life as public speculation grows. That has included attention surrounding Hughes and the reaction to the U.S. men’s hockey team.
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During a celebration of their Olympic gold win this summer, the U.S. men’s hockey team received a phone call from the president through FBI Director Kash Patel, who was in the room at the time.
Trump invited the team to his State of the Union. He also drew reaction online after saying, “I must tell you we’re going to have to bring the women too; you do know that. Believe me, I probably would be impeached, okay?”
Hughes, who scored the game-winning goal, was seen laughing with his teammates. Multiple mainstream media outlets later published opinion pieces criticizing the men’s team for laughing at the joke and for visiting the White House to celebrate and attending Trump’s State of the Union address.
“I try to keep my relationships as sacred and private as possible,” the singer said.
“I love the people in my life. They love me. You just try to keep that circle as positive and supportive as possible.”
She added, “And the outside noise, I can’t do anything about that. Focusing my energy on something that I can’t control, it just puts me in a bad mood.”
McRae recently finished her 88-stop “Miss Possessive” tour, which grossed more than $100 million and reinforced her newly appointed star status. After the tour, she reflected on how emotionally draining the experience became.
“I remember reading Sylvia Plath being like, ‘I am her,'” she said. “My thoughts felt so dark at the time, and I felt so lonely. I really needed to come back into my body and regulate my nervous system.”
“I was so shot after the tour. I couldn’t really sleep at night. I’d seen so much of myself that I was like, ‘I want to go into a black room and not look in a mirror for six months.'”
She added, “And I think I really had to check myself and be like, ‘You’re not the worst person in the world. You’re not the ugliest person in the world. You haven’t done everything wrong. And, you know, you’re just doing what you love.'”
McRae is already working on her fourth studio album. She also recently headlined Lollapalooza and is set to perform at Montreal’s Osheaga Festival, which will mark her first festival performance in her home country.
“There’s always thought about how you want your legacy to go down,” she said. “For me, the way to do that is try to beat your last performance, try to beat your last song, try to grow, evolve, pick it apart, rip it apart, figure out what didn’t work, what I didn’t like about that performance, what I could have done better, why I was nervous, figure out how to not be nervous.”
“I think the more you can master yourself and your performances, the better you get.”
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