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President Trump Appoints Country Singer John Rich To A New Position In His Administration
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President Trump Appoints Country Singer John Rich To A New Position In His Administration

Advocating for American landowners. President Trump has appointed country singer John Rich to a new position in his administration, one dedicated to a cause that’s already near and dear to Rich’s heart. Rich, who is also one half of Big & Rich, will serve as Special Envoy for American Landowners, a position in which Rich will “serve as a leading advocate for America’s farmers, ranchers, and private landowners.” According to a press release from Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, the position will allow Rich the opportunity to “engage directly with landowners across the country” to address government overreach and outside interests that threaten private property rights in rural communities. It’s a cause that Rich has already advocated for in his role as a private citizen, most notably last year when he advocated for homeowners in his home of Cheatham County, Tennessee against the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally owned electric utility company. The TVA had proposed building an energy facility that would have taken massive amounts of farmland and neighborhoods, leading to outcry from local residents and farm owners concerned about losing their homes and their land. Ultimately, thanks in no small part to Rich’s advocacy bringing attention to the issue, the TVA backed down from their plan. Now, in his new position, Rich will be expanding his advocacy and helping to bring concerns of landowners to the Trump administration, something he expressed his excitement for after being appointed to the new role: “President Trump has afforded me the great honor of serving as Special Envoy for American Landowners. I look forward to representing and advocating for landowners’ rights and standing up for the farmers, ranchers, and rural families who work every day to provide for our country. Protecting private property rights and ensuring that landowners are not harassed, intimidated, or pressured by outside interests will be at the heart of this mission.” According to the Department of Agriculture, a key focus for Rich will be advocating for landowners who are facing pressure from solar and wind developments that threaten their farmland, giving those landowners a voice and a pipeline directly to USDA leadership in decisions affecting their property. Speaking on Rich’s new role, Secretary Rollins says it highlights the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting farmers, ranchers and homeowners from losing their land to outside interests: “America’s farmers, ranchers, and landowners are among the greatest stewards of our nation’s resources and the backbone of our rural communities. President Trump understands that private property rights are fundamental to the American way of life. John Rich has long been a champion for rural America, and I look forward to working alongside him as we continue fighting for the people who feed, fuel, and clothe our nation.” Of course there are hundreds of thousands of landowners currently facing threats to their land from not only wind and solar farms, but increasingly from AI data centers as well. Here in Nashville, one of Rich’s fellow country stars, Brad Paisley, recently spoke out against a proposed AI data center being built directly next to the Nashville Zoo, calling it a “nightmare scenario.” “First of all, they don’t have the power to build this, they don’t have the water. It doesn’t belong there. It would be an enormous atrocity, an absolute eye sore, and detract in every way – not only the zoo – but that area. It’s not too late to stop it either. The Nashville Zoo is one of the sources of joy in the city. It is one of the top zoos in the world. It’s family memories. It’s expanding itself. It’s got all of these plans to become even better as a resource for our city.” It’s clearly an important issue to a lot of Americans, especially those in rural areas who often don’t have the same opportunity to advocate for themselves as those in larger cities. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a great thing that this is something the Trump administration is focused on, and it’s clearly a cause that’s near and dear to John Rich’s heart. He’s never been one to shy away from speaking out on issues he cares about, so I have no doubt he’ll do a great job at helping landowners make their voices heard. President Trump has afforded me the great honor to serve in his administration as the "Special Envoy for American Landowners." In this role, I look forward to representing and advocating for landowners’ rights against any entity that chooses to harass or intimidate them in an… — John Rich (@johnrich) June 8, 2026 The post President Trump Appoints Country Singer John Rich To A New Position In His Administration first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

“This Is Patriotism, Not Politics”: Zac Brown Says He’s Not Backing Down From Singing The National Anthem At UFC Freedom 250 Event
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“This Is Patriotism, Not Politics”: Zac Brown Says He’s Not Backing Down From Singing The National Anthem At UFC Freedom 250 Event

Zac Brown completely shut down all of the haters and political storylines ahead of his participation in the UFC Freedom 250 event. In case you haven’t heard, the United States of America is officially turning 250 years old next month. The 4th of July is always special, but this year’s edition will especially be so. President Trump has made an effort to make the celebration stretch throughout the entire year (that hasn’t gone exactly as planned), which is why Freedom 250 has had events sprinkled throughout since July of last year. The year-long celebration will culminate with a massive fair on the ground of the National Mall in Washington D.C., which is set to feature exhibits from all 50 states. Oh, and the iconic White House is partnering with the UFC to host a fight night on the lawn in just a couple of days (June 14 to be exact). Because nothing screams America more than having some people fight in the yard outside of a house. President Trump is close friends with UFC CEO Dana White, and often attends UFC fights in person. So the pairing wasn’t surprising by any means. That being said, the location of the UFC event – the South Lawn of the White House – marks the first time that a sporting event has ever been held at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It was announced a couple of months ago that country music star Zac Brown had been tapped to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” ahead of the event. As you might imagine, Brown has been met with some backlash because of that, since in this day and age, anything that takes place around the presidency is considered as taking a political stance. During a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, the “Chicken Fried” singer took aim at those who are criticizing him for performing the anthem with the Marine Band prior to the UFC event. Brown insisted that he’s there to support the troops, and showcase his love for America… and that he’s not taking a stand one way or the other politically: “Man, I’m there for the troops. I’m there to honor America. This is patriotism, not politics for me. F*** all the division. I don’t believe in that. I love this country. I love all the people that have sacrificed so that I can live my American dream and that everyone that lives here gets a chance to do that… It doesn’t have a place in politics for me. There’s gonna be like 8,000 active servicemen that are going to be there. I’m a massive UFC fan. I’ve watched every single UFC probably multiple times. It’s my favorite sport, and I’m honored that Dana is giving me the opportunity to do this.” "I'm at Freedom 250 to honor America.. I love this country and I'm honored to get to do the national anthem with the Marine Band"@zacbrownband #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/2CfvkDe8fk — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 10, 2026 Zac Brown also touched on how he couldn’t pass up being a part of history, since the UFC fight is the first ever sporting event at the White House. I’ve got to say… it’s refreshing to hear the lead man of the Zac Brown Band stand up and say he’s going to stick with his commitment because he loves America and the troops. Granted, the line between patriotism and politics has blurred some over the past decade or so, but the country star is planting his flag in the ground and proudly standing by it as he prepares to fulfill his anthem-singing role at UFC Freedom 250.The post “This Is Patriotism, Not Politics”: Zac Brown Says He’s Not Backing Down From Singing The National Anthem At UFC Freedom 250 Event first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Clint Black's First No. 1 Hit Is Still One of His Best Songs
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Clint Black's First No. 1 Hit Is Still One of His Best Songs

It's quite rare for an artist to hit No. 1 with a debut single, but Clint Black managed it in 1989 with "A Better Man." Continue reading…

Wynonna Judd Announces First Solo Album in 10 Years
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Wynonna Judd Announces First Solo Album in 10 Years

A new album, a new single and a deeply personal message reveal where Wynonna Judd finds herself after years of reflection. Continue reading…

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