'We Chose Him': Egyptian singer turns song praising Mubarak into bizarre ode to Trump

A pro-Sisi Egyptian singer has turned a ballad originally sung to praise former dictator Hosni Mubarak into a song campaigning for Donald Trump's victory in Tuesday's presidential elections.

Thirty-four-year-old Wissam Magdy has turned the 1999 song "Ekhtarnah" ("We Chose Him") - sung to Mubarak by 13 artists after he won a rubber-stamp referendum on his presidency - into an English-language paean to Trump.

The song features bizarre and cringe-worthy lyrics such as "When he speaks, our hearts listen… because our eyes saw his vision" and "it's his mission, it's not a submission, for a luxurious royal life".

The video, uploaded to YouTube on 26 October, has been viewed more than 100,000 times on the multimedia platform and over 30,000 times on the dreadlocked singer's Facebook page.

It features footage of Trump from various news sites, showing the incumbent US president dancing at a rally, trying on a cowboy hat, and kissing a baby among other activities.

The video also takes a not-so-subtle dig at Trump's election opponent Joe Biden, showing him looking apparently confused into a camera while the words "not a way to lose our mind" are sung.

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Trump has often remarked on Biden's apparent mental health during the election campaign, making unproven allegations that his opponent is not fit for office.

It was not clear whether Magdy intended the song to be serious or satirical.

He told the Middle East-focused news website Al-Monitor: "I did not mean to either ridicule or support Trump, because I am an Egyptian citizen and only an American citizen can have a say in the elections.

"However, I do value Trump for many of the positions in which he supports Egypt. Had he had any hostile intentions or positions toward the state, I would not sing for him."

Trump was previously caught referring to current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as his "favourite dictator" in a loud voice.

He supported the autocratic ruler when protests broke out against his rule in 2019 and over-rode congressional restrictions on military aid to the Egyptian government.

Biden has previously tweeted that he would not provide a "blank cheque" to Sisi if he wins US presidential elections.

Read more: Would Biden really put a stop to blank cheques for Egypt's Sisi?

Magdy, who supports Sisi and has previously dubbed dozens of Arabic songs into English, told Al-Monitor that for this song: "I put myself in the shoes of someone who wants to express support for a US president using the same or similar words, the same melody, but in English. Trump was the most logical choice since the song was originally written to voice renewed support for a president [Mubarak], not for someone like Biden running for the first time."

He added that he did not believe that the song would influence anyone politically, except for some members of the Arab-American community.

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