News

Bad Romance: Lady Gaga in Twitter feud with Trump campaign

November 2, 2020 12:32 PM


Twitter Share Facebook Share WhatsApp Share

Music superstar Lady Gaga got into an unlikely Twitter feud Sunday with President Donald Trump's reelection campaign after they accused her of being anti-fracking.

Democratic challenger Joe Biden announced that Gaga would appear with him Monday evening at a drive-in rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a state crucial to clinching victory on November 3.

Trump's team responded immediately, slamming the joint appearance. "Nothing exposes Joe Biden's disdain for the forgotten working men and women of Pennsylvania like campaigning with anti-fracking activist Lady Gaga," campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement posted to Twitter.

"This desperate effort to drum up enthusiasm for his lacklustre candidacy is actually a sharp stick in the eye for 600,000 Pennsylvanians who work in the fracking industry," Murtaugh said, adding that Biden has "repeatedly promised left-wing activists" he will end fracking should he take office.

Fracking -- gas and oil extraction from the deep underground rock using an injection of water and chemicals -- boomed in the mid-2000s thanks to new technology.

By 2014, it made the US the world's biggest oil and gas producer. But its costs are high: the drilling triggers earthquakes, while research links its air emissions and water contamination to myriad health problems. It also contributes to global warming when methane leaks out from drilling wells and becomes a highly potent greenhouse gas.

Biden favours prohibiting new fracking on public lands and transitioning the country to renewables, but has said he would not eliminate fracking entirely.

Lady Gaga clapped back at Murtaugh, tweeting: "HEY TIM HEY @realDonaldTrump SO HAPPY IM GLAD TO BE LIVING RENT FREE in your HEAD. #BidenHarris."

The Oscar-winner attached an image of Murtaugh's statement, decorated with animated stickers that said "LOL" and "Vote Biden," as well as the message, "Heeeey Donald... #WINNING (also, what is a fracking?) keep your jobs PA... We (heart emoji) You."

Murtaugh thanked Gaga for sharing the statement with her 82 million followers, saying he hoped "lots of folks in PA see this."

"Next time @ me," he added, referring to Twitter's method of tagging people in posts.

But there was only love for Gaga in the rest of the comments, where fans jokingly urged her to "END HIM" and "GET HIM QUEEN."

Murtaugh doubled down shortly after, tweeting, "Now that we have your attention, Google 'Lady Gaga fracking.'"

But many remained unbothered, with one Twitter user joking, "Yes, the first thing I think of when I think of Gaga is her views on fracking."

"That's Grammy award winning, anti-fracking activist Lady Gaga to you," another person wrote.

Biden currently leads Trump by an average of 4.3 percentage points in Pennsylvania, according to RealClearPolitics, two days before the election.



Most Read

  1. Punjab governor appoints Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Aziz as PPSC Chairman Punjab governor appoints Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Aziz as PPSC Chairman
  2. Reason behind Shruti Haasan and Santanu Hazarika's separation after 4 years Reason behind Shruti Haasan and Santanu Hazarika's separation after 4 years
  3. Life is too short for leaks, Yashma Gill’s latest video ignites criticism Life is too short for leaks, Yashma Gill’s latest video ignites criticism
  4. Parineeti Chopra's husband Raghav Chadha undergoes ‘dangerous’ eye surgery in UK Parineeti Chopra's husband Raghav Chadha undergoes ‘dangerous’ eye surgery in UK
  5. Are Aftab Iqbal and Kapil Sharma coming together? Are Aftab Iqbal and Kapil Sharma coming together?
  6. I wasn't meant to be here, Mahira Khan's response to viral moment with Arijit Singh I wasn't meant to be here, Mahira Khan's response to viral moment with Arijit Singh

Opinion

  1. PM Shehbaz Sharif, WEF and Pakistan
    PM Shehbaz Sharif, WEF and Pakistan

    By Naveed Aman Khan

  2. Employing global best practices in Pakistan-Saudi ties
    Employing global best practices in Pakistan-Saudi ties

    By Nasim Zehra

  3. PML-N smashed PTI in by-polls
    PML-N smashed PTI in by-polls

    By News Desk

  4. Riding the Digital Wave: How Technology is Rewriting the Script of Economic Prosperity
    Riding the Digital Wave: How Technology is Rewriting the Script of Economic Prosperity

    By News Desk

  5. Tax on solar energy: Govt's misplaced priorities favour powerful stakeholders over people welfare  
    Tax on solar energy: Govt's misplaced priorities favour powerful stakeholders over people welfare  

    By Manzoor Qadir

  6. Legacy of Indian military subjugation in Kashmir
    Legacy of Indian military subjugation in Kashmir

    By Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai