During a newly released interview with local news affiliate WKRN, Kid Rock addressed the recent controversy surrounding an unscheduled military helicopter flyover at his Nashville, Tennessee estate. The March 28 incident, which involved two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters hovering near his custom-built “Southern White House,” sparked immediate debate regarding the appropriate use of military resources.
While military leadership initially suspended the aircrew pending an investigation, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth swiftly overturned that decision on March 31. Reinstating the pilots without penalty, Pete Hegseth publicly directed them to “Carry on, patriots.”
Following the viral social media post where he used the flyover to take a jab at California Governor Gavin Newsom, Kid Rock detailed exactly how the event unfolded from his perspective.
“I was sitting right there just having a Saturday morning beer, and I seen the choppers start coming,” Kid Rock explained (as transcribed by theprp). “I was like, ‘Man, it looks like military.’ It’s not the first time they’ve flown over my house; they’re out of Fort Campbell. Which, I was there last Thanksgiving with [U.S. Vice President] JD Vance, and I’ve talked to some of these pilots. I’ve told them: ‘You guys see me waving when you come by the house? You guys are always welcome to cruise by my house, like anytime.’”
The musician continued: “So they just happened to be coming this way, so I walked over here and I’m like, [waving] ‘Yeah, hell yeah!’ And then they circled back around and came out right over here. I just gave them a salute and kind of a thank you. Man, it was a level of respect that I got that no award or record sales could ever do.”
Addressing the simultaneous “No Kings” protests occurring in Nashville, where citizens demonstrated against the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the outspoken conservative artist voiced his disapproval of anyone disrespecting the armed forces.
“At the end of the day, if it makes their day a little brighter for their service to our country protecting us, I think that’s a great thing — especially when I saw yesterday that there was the ‘No Kings’ thing going down and there’s people flipping them off. I don’t care what your politics are, but come on, man — if you’re flipping our military off, I’m the king of the bird. Like, if you’re flipping our military off, you’re on the wrong side of things, man,” he said. “You know, at the end of the day, I thought it was harmless. I thought it was really cool. I was very appreciative of them coming by, and I hope they got a good smile and it made their day a little bit brighter too.”
When questioned about the intense backlash from taxpayers who viewed the maneuver as an inappropriate waste of government funds and a breach of protocol, Kid Rock quickly dismissed the criticism as politically motivated.
“TDS syndrome. They got TDS syndrome. Which is no new news here. It’s like, we know the half of the country that’s going to love it and say, ‘That’s really cool, that’s great for the military’, and the other half that’s going to go, ‘We’re wasting taxpayers’ money,’ this, that, and the other.”
Defending his own longstanding relationship with the armed forces, he highlighted his extensive history of performing for troops stationed overseas.
“I might remind people — not one to sit here and brag about it — but I’ve done a lot of service… I’ve been to the military in every war country from Afghanistan to Iraq to Kosovo, multiple times. Christmases, Thanksgivings. And I think a lot of these guys and girls know that I’ve done a lot for them because I appreciate what they do for us, so I think they know this is a pretty friendly spot if they want to come by and give a wave when they go by.”
Rock concluded: “To the people who serve our country, same thing I’ve said for years: thank you for your service, and keep on ‘Kid Rockin’ in the free world.”
