Natalie Maines jokes she might ‘make out with George W Bush’ now in wake of Trump

Maines’ band, formerly known as The Dixie Chicks, famously fought backlash after criticising the Iraq war in 2003

Natalie Maines of The Chicks has joked that she “might actually make out with George W Bush” today, years after she controversially criticised his invasion of Iraq.

While appearing on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live talk show, in an episode being broadcast tonight (21 July), Maines said that the actions of Donald Trump had put the Bush years into perspective.

“Today, I might actually make out with George Bush,” Maines joked. “[I maintain that I] didn’t want to go to war and that weapons of mass destruction were a lie – but yes, I would.”

The Chicks, who recently changed their name from The Dixie Chicks due to Dixie’s connotations with US slavery, were embroiled in a career-shifting controversy in 2003 due to their criticism of Bush.

At a London concert, Maines told British fans that she did not agree with the Iraq war, and was “ashamed” to come from the same state as Bush.

The subsequent right-wing outrage saw the group banned from country radio and their album sales collapse. Despite the criticism, as well as death threats, the band have stood by their comments in the years since.

In a recent interview, Maines recalled a “scary” meeting with Harvey Weinstein, who produced a documentary about the band made in the wake of their Bush comments