Trump-supporting rapper Lil Pump banned from flying after refusing to wear mask
The rapper stunned his fans by backing Donald Trump during his campaign rally
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Lil Pump, the Donald Trump-backing rapper, has been banned from flying on JetBlue airways for reportedly refusing to wear a mask during a flight on Sunday.
The 20-year-old “Gucci Gang” singer "became verbally abusive with crew members” after he was asked multiple times to follow the airline’s face covering policy and he refused to comply, JetBlue confirmed to USA Today without naming the rapper.
"His return reservation was cancelled and he is no longer welcome to fly on JetBlue," company spokesperson Derek Dombrowski said. "The safety of all customers and crew members is JetBlue’s first priority."
Lil Pump, who was nominated for best new artist at the VMAs in 2018, later took to Instagram to slam the airline and said: “All of 2020, ’21, I ain’t wearing no mask. I ain’t gotta wear no f******g mask, b***h. Corona’s fake. Bye.” The video was later deleted.
The rapper was supposed to fly from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles.
Lil Pump, whose real name is Gazzy Garcia, surprised many when he appeared with Donald Trump at his final campaign rally in Michigan and announced that he would be voting for the Republican. It was during that appearance that Mr Trump called him “Lil Pimp” before correcting himself.
Since then, the right-leaning rapper has been taking on people with conflicting political affiliations, with the latest target being Eminem.
“F**k Eminem. You is lame as hell, ain't nobody listening to your old ass,” the rapper said in an Instagram story without any apparent provocation. “You lame as f**k, b***h! I woke up on bulls**t today, I'm back on my f**k s**t.”
This is not the first time the rapper had a run-in with an airline. In 2018, he was stopped from taking a flight after a complaint that his baggage smelled with a “strong odour of weed”, and he was held for inappropriate conduct with staff.
JetBlue was among the first airlines to impose pandemic-related policies, requiring those aged two and older to mask up during flights, check-in and boarding from 4 May.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments