Kid Rock Remembers What Happened When He Met Barack Obama

Kid Rock recently recalled what happened when he met former President Barack Obama back in 2009. That January, the rap-rock artist and country singer celebrated Obama's first inauguration at MTV's "Be the Change" Youth Ball with Kanye West and Fall Out Boy.

Looking back, Kid Rock admitted that he didn't like a lot of Obama's subsequent policies as president. Still, he confessed an admiration for the politician who became America's first Black president.

Watch the video down toward the bottom of this post.

These days, Kid Rock is more known for supporting Obama's successor, former President Donald Trump, than as a friend to Democratic policymakers. But this week, the musician summarized his 2009 meeting with Obama on TV host Bill Maher's Club Random podcast. Kid Rock's son, Robert James Ritchie, Jr. — who the singer noted is biracial — also got to meet Obama.

Setting the scene, Kid Rock told Maher, "I always said, man, I wanna hang out with Obama and drink beer. There's not a cooler [president out of] all the presidents … from Jimmy Carter up. I didn't like a lot of his policies. … I didn't vote for him. I was invited by MTV because they wanted to show diversity. … Like, 'We need a right-wing guy who's got a fuckin' song or two.'"

The singer digressed, "And I was supposed to go to George W. Bush's homecoming back to [Texas that year]. And they dug up — like, they vetted some shit where I did say some crazy shit about Barbara Bush on an early record when I was 17 years old. They were like basically, 'You can't come.'"

But Kid Rock got a second chance with Obama.

The "Bawitdaba" rocker remembered, "When MTV calls, like, 'Hey, would play [with] Barack?' I'm like, 'Of course I would. Can I bring my son?' My son's mixed. Now, [Obama] was a big deal — a big deal for me, too. I'm like, fuckin', I hope this motherfucker gets it right 'cause I didn't vote for him."

He continued, "We're there; we perform; it was great. They grab me and Kanye West, and they're like, 'Hey, it's time to meet the president and first lady.' I'm like, 'Junior, come on.' And they're like, 'No, no, he can't come — just you guys.' You know, Secret Service. … [But] I'm like, 'Fuckin' follow us.'"

Once in Obama's presence, Kid Rock took it all in. "Michelle [Obama] looked beautiful," he recalled. "Barack is cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce. We say hello. He's like, 'Tell me what's going on, Rock, what's going on?' I'm like, 'I'll tell you what's going on … I got my son sittin' out the door whose mixed. His mother's black.' I'm like, 'Kinda a big deal, you know, if you'd like to say hi to him for a second or whatever.' He's like, 'Sure, bring him in.' I look at the Secret Service guy — I'm like, 'Fuck you.'"

Kid Rock added, invoking the idea of free speech, "This is how guys talk, by the way. It's fuckin' fun. Why should we sit here with handcuffs on, and have a conversation like, 'Don't say this, don't say that.'"

Things didn't go as well when Kid Rock met The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Bad Reputation, Kid Rock's 12th studio album, came out earlier this year. His "Bad Reputation Tour" rocked across North America. Get Kid Rock concert tickets here.