Chile’s president-elect Gabriel Boric isn’t just a leftist millennial — he’s also the owner of some hard-hitting nu metal hats, images of which are currently making the rounds on Twitter.
In the wake of Boric’s victory, indicative of Chileans’ discontent with outgoing president Sebastian Pinera (a conservative billionaire), netizens have delighted in the 35-year-old’s relatable music taste.
Photos of the politician wearing merch for Tool, Rammstein, Deftones, and Nine Inch Nails have been making the rounds on Twitter, where user @diegbro wrote: “Chile has a nu metal president.”
hats off to Chile’s new president! pic.twitter.com/rIzDg52O9X
— 80HD.tv (@diegbro) December 20, 2021
Others have dug up images of Boric in a Nirvana shirt, which he wore to meet with Americas Quarterly editor-in-chief Brian Winter in 2018.
Gabriel Boric, surely the only guest of honor in the 50-year history of the Americas Society to show up wearing a black Nirvana T-shirt
The photo is from 2018
A (new) story about it is here: https://t.co/TvXclE6soD pic.twitter.com/SRaS6ONvWb— Brian Winter (@BrazilBrian) December 20, 2021
Judging from other resurfaced shots, Boric is also a fan of Taylor Swift.
One photo shows him wearing Swift’s promotional cardigan, released alongside 2020’s folklore, while another pictures him clutching a rendering of TSwift’s head on Jesus’ body.
In August, he even tweeted: “I feel #Swiftie.”
Same!
FUN FACT: The Swiftie candidate for the presidency of Chile, @gabrielboric has won the elections! 🇨🇱
He shares that he discovered @TaylorSwift13 during the pandemic and that his favorite album is "Folklore." pic.twitter.com/683H746hhK
— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) December 20, 2021
Boric’s far-reaching musical preferences extend to K-pop, too. Fans of South Korean singer Jeongyeon have been losing it over a shot of the incoming president holding up a “finger heart” and two Jeongyeon photo cards.
A photo of Gabriel Boric, a former student activist who has just been elected as Chile’s youngest president ever…. holding up a finger heart and a Jeongyeon photocard
The newest Chilean president is a Once and a Jeongyeon stan #TWICE #트와이스 #Jeongyeon #정연 pic.twitter.com/l8W9sJKQ2Q
— Jeongyeon World (@yjyworld) December 20, 2021
Obviously, Boric’s politics are far more impactful than his hats, but still, it’s vaguely comforting to know someone so powerful has good taste in music (if Boric were parading around in a, say, Skrillex T-shirt, we’d probably ignore it and hope it was just a phase).
Boric’s victory is cause enough for celebration — the former student protest leader rejects the legacy of dictator Augusto Pinochet and promises expanded social rights, reformed healthcare, and reducing the Chilean work week from 45 to 40 hours — but his collection of musical merch is the cherry on top.
