Virginia native-turned-overnight musical sensation Oliver Anthony hasn't just upset the entertainment industry's entire apple cart with his anti-D.C. anthem "Rich Men North of Richmond," his rapid rise in fame also earned him the very first question at Wednesday night's Republican presidential debate.
“As we sit here tonight, the No. 1 song on the Billboard chart is ‘Rich Men North of Richmond,'” Fox News host Martha MacCallum said to resounding cheers by the audience. “It’s by a singer from Farmville, Virginia, named Oliver Anthony. His lyrics speak of alienation, of deep frustration with the state of government and of this country. Washington, D.C., is about 100 miles north of Richmond.”
“Why is this song striking such a nerve in this country right now? What do you think it means?” she then asked, following a short clip of the song in which Anthony laments that his "dollar ain't sh*t, and it's taxed to no end."
The very first question at tonight's debate is about... Rich Men North of Richmond.
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) August 24, 2023
"Why is this song striking such a nerve in this country right now? What do you think it means?" pic.twitter.com/ty26fBDnii
The question might have been a softball set-up for a presidential debate, but there's no denying Anthony's song has hit a nerve with millions of Americans of all races, ages, and creeds who feel forgotten by the political elite. The anthem, which blasts politicians en masse while slamming government waste and the ignoring of the American working class, skyrocketed to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Charts earlier this month, garnering millions of views across virtually every social media platform within hours of being posted to YouTube.
With all due respect to Martha, it's not hard to see what this means - it means Americans are sick of being told how to live their lives by out-of-touch politicians and bureaucrats, and they're even more sick of watching their hard-earned dollars going to fund that agenda.