Here’s what happened after Shania Twain said she probably would have voted for Donald Trump

Expressing an opinion about Donald Trump on the internet is a no-win situation. If you say you support him, you anger people who think he’s a threat to democracy. If you say you loathe him, you risk incurring the wrath of Twitter trolls who live for the thrill of harassing people online. Somebody probably should have explained this to Canadian singer and songwriter Shania Twain, who, in an interview with the Guardian, said the following about Trump: “I would have voted for him because, even though he was offensive, he seemed honest. Do you want straight or polite? Not that you shouldn’t be able to have both. If I were voting, I just don’t want bullshit. I would have voted for a feeling that it was transparent. And politics has a reputation of not being that, right?”

Twitter, predictably, did not react well. Here’s what went down.

Before we get into all the outrage, here’s Twain’s apology, which she issued after a solid few hours of continual roasting on Twitter:

I would like to apologise to anybody I have offended in a recent interview with the Guardian relating to the American President. The question caught me off guard. As a Canadian, I regret answering this unexpected question without giving my response more context (1/4)

— Shania Twain (@ShaniaTwain) April 22, 2018

Lots of people were relieved to know that Twain was still alive, and therefore capable of being dragged:

I saw Shania Twain trending and thought she was dead. Turns out she supports Donald Trump. Ah, so it’s her career that’s dead.

— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) April 22, 2018

When I saw Shania Twain was trending, I thought she died !
Turns out she is trending for being Dead on the inside, what a shame.

— The Prince of Shadows?️ (@ThePrinceofSha1) April 23, 2018

Saw that Shania Twain was trending and my first thought was:

Oh, no. She dead.

Then I saw what she said and then I thought:

Oh, no. She dead.

— Ahmed Khokhar (@axmebkhokhar) April 23, 2018

Yes, there are bigger problems in the world than Shania Twain’s problematic political views:

If you guys are pissed about Shania Twain wait until you hear about what happened in Armenia today.

— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) April 23, 2018

But how long before a senate subcommittee is convened to investigate Twaingate?

Twainghazi

— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) April 23, 2018

Local society writer Shinan Govani was not the first (or the last) to observe that Twain’s professed taste in men is wildly inconsistent:

That don't impress me much, Shania. Was it the "Muslim ban," shouted from the rootops, that you found refreshingly "honest"…just for starters? https://t.co/GilTlmnqwv

— shinan govani (@shinangovani) April 23, 2018

Let me get this right…a rocket scientist who looks like Brad Pitt doesn't impress Shania Twain much, but a bloated con man does? ?

— Mel Ankoly ? (@Mel_Ankoly) April 23, 2018

Shania Twain wasn’t impressed by a guy who looked like 1997 Brad Pitt so I’m not exactly sure why we were expecting her to have good opinions

— Professional Arborist (@SortaBad) April 22, 2018

Tattoo jokes were also a popular option:

Starting a GoFundMe to pay for laser removal of my tattoo of Shania Twain voting for Hillary

— popular comedy account “the pixelated boat” (@pixelatedboat) April 23, 2018

Now that my tattoo artist has finished inscribing this portrait of Morrissey, Kanye and Shania Twain onto my back, I’ll calmly log onto Twi-

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) April 22, 2018

This seems like a case of bad timing:

Country legend @ShaniaTwain will host the 2018 @CCMAofficial in Hamilton, Ont. this September, and receive the Generation Award. Read more here: https://t.co/qjccX5a6PV #CCMAawards pic.twitter.com/WrauiXHAS0

— CBC Music (@CBCMusic) April 23, 2018

Shania Twain’s “gay icon” days might be over:

Welp, starting to rethink my initial plan to let Shania Twain guide all of my political, socioeconomic and spiritual beliefs

— billy eichner (@billyeichner) April 22, 2018

A parting thought:

I just realized Shania Twain apologizing for a vote she never even cast is the most Canadian thing I've ever heard.

— Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) April 23, 2018