Garth Brooks: ‘Love is the way to get my vote’

Garth Brooks says there’s “a gap” across the politically divided country, and Americans need to “build a bridge” in order to unite.

“The truth is this: Politically, I stand with this, I believe in love,” the country music singer said Friday.

Brooks is one of five performers — along with Joan Baez, Debbie Allen, Midori and Dick Van Dyke — being recognized this week at the Kennedy Center Honors. The 43rd annual awards ceremony, typically held in December but postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, is being filmed this week in Washington and is scheduled to air on June 6 on CBS.

“I believe in the best person for the job, whoever that person is. And love is the way to get my vote,” Brooks, who performed at President Biden’s inauguration in January, told ITK at an Honors press event.

Brooks said at the time that his inaugural performance of “Amazing Grace” wasn’t a “political statement.” On Friday, he said taking to the inaugural stage was an opportunity for him to serve his country.

“I don’t get to do it in the honor that my father did, a former Marine, or my brother did in the Air Force or the Army. So this is my way to contribute,” the “Ain’t Goin’ Down” singer said.

“For me, there’s a gap right now,” added Brooks, 59. “And we got to build that bridge. We have to.”

Saying he recently “cried like a baby” as he attended a longtime friend’s American naturalization ceremony, Brooks exclaimed, “When they do the Pledge of Allegiance, one word stands out: indivisible.”

“We’re divided,” he said. “And we need to fix it.”