President Donald Trump is keeping a close eye on one particular Tennessee election… and doing his best to swing it in his favor.
You’ve likely heard the name Aftyn Behn in recent weeks. She’s a Democratic Congressional candidate who is running to represent the 7th district of Tennessee in Congress. Why has she popped up in the headlines? Well, other than just running for election – which is scheduled for December 2, 2025 in Tennessee – she’s had to put out some fires thanks to comments that she’s made about Nashville in the past.
She’s hoping to represent “Music City” in Washington D.C., but so is GOP candidate Matt Van Epps: a veteran and member of the Tennessee National Guard who previously served as the state’s former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services. Behn is a former community organizer and current representative for Nashville in the Tennessee House of Representatives, but she’s been more focused on damage control leading up to the election because she’s bashed Nashville in the past.
Back in 2020, Behn was on the Year Old GRITS podcast and claimed she “hates” Nashville and country music, as you can see in this clip below that’s gone viral in the past month or so:
“I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville. I hate it.”
Hating the city that you are running to represent is a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see how it plays out.
In a 2024 podcast episode of “Red State Blue Moon,” Behn voiced her opposition to how the Tennessee state Legislature opens up with prayer at the beginning of each legislative session. She said the prayer makes her “uncomfortable”:
“Especially as someone who is more secular, I have a hard time when religion is at the core of everything we do in the Legislature. For example, on the House floor, we say a prayer at the beginning of each session. Some committees open up with prayer, we also stand for the Pledge. And there are also prayer groups in the legislature who meet routinely. There are Christian pastors that have a lot of say and proximity to power in the Legislature and dictate a lot of what the power players do. And it is uncomfortable. I think it makes a lot of my constituents who represent a diversity of religion deeply uncomfortable.”
Behn has since claimed that she loves Nashville, cries every time she goes to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and was even conceived after a George Strait concert. In other words, she’s pulled out every stop to try and get the Nashville and country community back on her side. But you can’t really erase the fact that you clearly stated you hated “Music City” just a couple of years ago.
That’s what President Donald Trump pointed out in some of his recent messages posted on Truth Social. The POTUS knows that the December 2 election is very important, and took to his online social media platform to voice his support for Behn’s opponent – Matt Van Epps – and share his disdain for Aftyn Behn:
“I am asking all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE on Election Day, Tuesday, December 2nd, for a phenomenal Candidate, Matt Van Epps Matt is fighting against a woman who hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music.
She said all of these things precisely, and without question – IT’S ON TAPE! Do not take this Race for granted. The Radical Left Democrats are spending a fortune to beat one of the best Candidates we’ve ever had, Matt Van Epps! You can win this Election for Matt. GET OUT AND VOTE FOR MATT VAN EPPS, who has my Complete and Total Endorsement – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN.”
Trump sure does love his caps lock button.
In another message, Trump called the election “very pivotal” and said that the whole world would be watching to see who wins between Matt Van Epps and Aftyn Behn. He’s probably got a valid point in saying that too. A Democratic win in the 7th district of Tennessee in Congress could spell trouble for Republicans. That’s probably why President Trump is so invested in what plays out on December 2.
