Who Is Warren Zeiders, the Object of Trump’s Affection?

Maybe he got him confused with Warren Zevon? On the same morning that news was circulating about the eclectic songwriter finally being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the president of the United States was singing the praises of Warren Zeiders.

For the uninitiated, Zeiders is a country music singer who scored a Number One hit with the song “Pretty Little Poison” last year. In March, the Hershey, Pennsylvania, native released his album Relapse, Lies, & Betrayal. And just last week, Zeiders went viral for berating and then tossing a fan who gave him the finger at his concert (sample call-out: “Fuck me? Fuck you, dude”).

At first, President Trump’s endorsement of Zeiders on Truth Social — “Warren Zeiders is FANTASTIC. Go to his concerts, and ENJOY!” — seemed as out of left field as, say, leveling a tariff against an uninhabited island or “bringing Columbus Day back.” (A spokesperson for Zeiders said the two didn’t have any previous communications.) Maybe Trump, a proud complimenter of the male physique, saw a photo of the jacked Zeiders shirtless and, like Kelly Clarkson, had his curiosity piqued.

A little snooping on Zeiders’ own Twitter account, however, seemed to explain Trump’s stanning.

Last night, Zeiders tweeted that he was going to be a guest on One Nation, the Sunday evening talk show hosted by Brian Kilmeade on Fox News. Trump, of course, is an avid Fox viewer, even installing some of its talking heads to run, say, the Pentagon or the country’s transportation. Zeiders — who appeared on Kilmeade’s show alongside two men known for playing pompous intellectuals, Kelsey Grammer and Jordan Peterson — must have made an impression on Trump, who, upon awakening, felt compelled to endorse the singer with a pre-dawn post.

It didn’t go unnoticed by Zeiders, who recently told GQ that he’d suffered seven diagnosed concussions while playing lacrosse in college. On Monday, the singer posted an open invitation for Trump to attend a concert. Let’s just hope he doesn’t flip him off.