Pop star Lizzo is once again making headlines, but this time, it’s not for her chart-topping hits. The singer faced swift backlash online after declaring at a rally that if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected president, “the whole country will be like Detroit.” What Lizzo seemed to intend as a compliment has left many Americans, especially conservatives, shaking their heads.

Lizzo made these controversial remarks while standing alongside Kamala Harris at a campaign rally in Detroit over the weekend. In a bid to rally support for the Democratic candidate, she attempted to paint Detroit—a city marred by decades of economic decline—as a shining example of resilience.

“They say if Kamala Harris wins, the whole country will be like Detroit. Proud like Detroit. Resilient like Detroit,” Lizzo exclaimed to a crowd of supporters. The crowd may have cheered, but critics didn’t let the flawed comparison slide.

To anyone familiar with Detroit’s struggles, Lizzo’s comments seem woefully out of touch. Once the booming heart of American industry, Detroit is now a symbol of failed leadership, job loss, and economic decay. The city’s collapse began long ago as car manufacturers offshored jobs, and has only been exacerbated by poor policy decisions. Today, Detroit’s unemployment rate stands at a staggering 8.8%—more than double the national average. If that’s the future Harris envisions for America, voters have every right to be concerned.

Former President Donald Trump has long pointed to cities like Detroit as examples of what happens when Democratic policies take root unchecked. During a recent speech at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump didn’t hold back in highlighting the failures of Democratic leadership in cities like Detroit, Chicago, and San Francisco. The reality is clear: high crime rates, crumbling infrastructure, and skyrocketing unemployment aren’t exactly qualities most Americans want replicated across the country.

Social media erupted after Lizzo’s comments, with many criticizing the singer for her misguided praise of Detroit and her enthusiastic endorsement of Harris. One user posted, “Lizzo said, ‘If Kamala wins, the whole country will be like Detroit,’ as she spoke at a Kamala rally in Michigan. Does anyone else see a problem with that, or just me?”

Comedian David Angelo even chimed in on X (formerly Twitter), humorously suggesting that Democrats might secretly want Trump to win if their vision for America is turning it into Detroit: “My theory has been that Democrats know everything is about to collapse and they actually want Trump to win,” he quipped.

The harsh reality that Lizzo and Harris are conveniently ignoring is that cities like Detroit are not thriving examples of Democratic leadership—they’re cautionary tales. Over-regulation, bloated government, and failing public schools have turned this once-great American city into a shadow of its former self. If Kamala Harris’s presidency means exporting Detroit’s mismanagement to the rest of the country, voters ought to be very wary.

While Lizzo may have earned applause from the rally’s audience, her comments likely alienated a large swath of the American public. As Election Day approaches, voters will have to decide whether they want the “resilience” of Detroit to become the new normal—or whether they’ll reject the policies that drove Detroit into the ground in favor of a leader who can restore American greatness.