Shania Twain apologises over 'voting for Trump' comments

Country pop star received a backlash on social media after fans noticed her comments about the US president

(Getty Images)

Shania Twain has apologised after making an "awkward" remark where she appeared to suggest she would have voted for Donald Trump if she could have.

The Canadian country pop star was speaking with the Guardian where she discussed several subjects including her divorce from long-time producer and collaborator Mutt Lange, her troubled childhood including being sexually and physically abused by her stepfather, and her recent album.

Towards the end of the interview she was quoted as saying she "would have voted for [Trump] because, even though he was offensive, he seemed honest".

"Do you want straight or polite? Not that you shouldn't be able to be both. If I were voting, I just don't want bulls**t. I would have voted for a feeling that it was transparent. And politics has a reputation of not being that, right?"

The comment was picked up on social media and her name began trending on Twitter, with many of her fans - particularly her LGBT+ fanbase - issuing fierce criticisms.

"I would like to apologise to anybody I have offended," Twain tweeted after the backlash. "The question caught me off-guard. As a Canadian, I regret answering this unexpected question without giving my response more context.

"I was trying to explain, in a response to a question about the election, that my limited understanding was that the president talked to a portion of America like an accessible person they could relate to, as he was not a politician."

She added: "My answer was awkward, but certainly should not be taken as a representative of my values nor does it mean I endorse him."