American writer and foreign-policy commentator, formerly deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, and co-host of Pod Save the World.
Case
After Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” remarks at MetLife, the tour promoter said upcoming venues would not allow him on the lineup and he would miss remaining U.S. dates. Macklemore attributed the outcome to venue pressure; Robert Kraft confirmed barring him from Gillette Stadium.
Role at the time: Writer and foreign-policy commentator, former deputy national security adviser, posting on X
Statement summary
Quote-posting a report that Ed Sheeran had lost all his supporting acts, Ben Rhodes argued that using power and wealth to suppress dissent backfires, and criticised stadium owners for telling audiences what they may think.
“When your only response to dissent is to use power and wealth to make it go away, you are going to have the opposite effect. People can see what’s happening in the Middle East with their eyes and don’t want to be told what they’re allowed to think by people who own stadiums.”
Relative to Macklemore’s MetLife speech and his removal, Rhodes casts the response to that speech as an attempt to use power and wealth to make dissent disappear, and rejects the idea that stadium owners should determine what audiences may think. He defends the speech and criticises those who pressed for the removal. The quote-posted item about Sheeran losing his supporting acts establishes the connection to this dispute rather than to the wider conflict.
Statement dates: September 15, 2026
Statement dates: September 15, 2026
Statement dates: September 15, 2026
