Canadian pop star Tate McRae is addressing the speculation around her political beliefs.
In a new interview with Variety, the 23-year-old singer responded to rumours that she’s a MAGA supporter following her collaboration with country singer Morgan Wallen for their hit song What I Want and her rumoured romance with NHL player Jack Hughes.
“I like to say my piece through organizations I support and the environment that I have on tour,” McRae said, who posted a TikTok advertising a “Little Miss Possessive” hoodie, with a portion of the proceeds going to The Trevor Project, which is a non-profit suicide prevention organization that provides 24-7 crisis support services 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,” McRae added.
McRae also spoke about working on the 2025 song with Wallen, who has never publicly confirmed his political views, in an interview with Rolling Stone in Dec. 2025.
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“I, honestly, just got the opportunity to do a country song, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is cool.’ And I wanted to cross genres really bad,” she told the outlet. “It was just about the song for me. I didn’t realize how much a song would be connected to all the other factors, and it really shocked me.”
McRae’s political views were also questioned after she was romantically linked to Hughes.
Hughes and Team USA took home the Olympic gold medal in February and received a phone call from U.S. President Donald Trump through FBI Director Kash Patel, who was in the locker room following the win.
While extending an invite to the U.S. men’s hockey team to attend his state of the union, Trump received backlash for 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, OK?”
Hughes was spotted laughing with his teammates at Trump’s comment in video shared online. Hughes later spoke to reporters and said that he has “so much respect for the women’s team.”
When speaking about her relationships, McRae told Variety, “I try to keep my relationships as sacred and private as possible.”
“I love the people in my life. They love me. You just try to keep that circle as positive and supportive as possible. 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,” she added.
McRae also faced criticism earlier this year after she starred in an advertisement promoting Team USA ahead of the Winter Olympics in Italy.
In the ad, the Calgary-born singer was seen asking an owl for directions to Italy, then mentions only Team USA athletes before throwing in a line about the Super Bowl.
Following its release, commentators questioned why she would appear in content supporting American athletes over her native country.
The Sports Car singer responded to critics in an Instagram post, sharing a photo of herself as a small child waving a Canadian flag with the caption, “y’all know I’m Canada down.”
—With files from Global News’ Rachel Goodman
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