Former child star and voice of the nation Aaron Carter, now 28, made headlines last week for announcing his support of Donald Trump (via Twitter, natch). Carter tweeted: "Does America want to have a president who FOLLOWS or someone who leads? I vote For @realdonaldtrump." What followed was a blitzkrieg of questions from fans and trolls that left Carter wondering—and he has a point here—why everyone cares. Well, at least one of us is a lifelong Aaron Carter fan who felt genuinely bummed out by this development. This lifelong fan wanted to give Carter a shot at explaining himself. And he did, kinda.

GQ: So are you kind of stressed right now?

Aaron Carter: Am I stressed? Hell yeah, I’m stressed.

Did you know that this tweet would get you a lot of attention?

It was more than just a tweet, I guess. I support Donald Trump. I don’t support every little thing. Trump goes his own way. He’s a leader, not a follower, and he’s proven that by humbling the other campaigns. I think in regards to him becoming president, well, the electoral college will be the decider.

If Trump can’t change some of his ways of thinking, then I’m just going to sit this one out.

So what elements of his platform do you not support, and when do those things outweigh what you do support?

I don’t agree with banning gay marriage. It’s outlandish, because he has supported the gay community before. And building a wall is totally outrageous.

But the things you do agree with are more important than his stance on immigration or gay marriage?

Well, I mean, there’s still time to see how it works out. And I haven’t even made my vote. If Trump can’t change some of his ways of thinking, then I’m just going to sit this one out.

Have you voted before?

No. This is the first time I’ve ever really engaged in politics.

What made you so interested in the election this time around?

I mean, recently I’ve been rebuilding my life, I’ve been rebuilding my image and career. I went from five years ago making $30,000 a year doing the off-Broadway production Fantasticks to the next year getting back on my feet, proving myself, and grossing over $1.5 million that year. Everyone thought I was broke, but I actually haven’t been broke. There have been a lot of things people don’t understand about my story. So I kind of just find myself being able to relate. I like what he’s doing for taxes for the people. And I like what he’s focused on. Like, let’s worry about our deficit right now. And about our country. And about how we can actually make it great again. He’s proving that sometimes you have to file for bankruptcy and rebuild. I can relate. I’ve been through it.

You said that there were some things that people misunderstood about your story. What’s one thing that you’d like to set people straight on?

Well, when I turned 18, I got $2 million in trust-fund money, and I got $4 million in taxes my parents didn’t pay when I was 11 and 12 years old. I worked really hard for that money. My whole life. Up until I was 18. Doing thousands and thousands of shows, working and providing for my family. When my brother was 18 years old, he was out of the house. Didn’t take care of the family. I started when I was 7 years old, and I was a provider for my family, too. If I could set people straight, I wouldn’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. Like, get your facts straight. Like, actually get your facts straight.

Like, get your facts straight. Like, actually get your facts straight.

I filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and it cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars to file that bankruptcy. And I went from making $30k a year to the next year grossing $1.5 million, to being like, Okay, I’m going to do a bankruptcy because I have no choice. Just because I made $1.5 million doesn’t mean I have $4 million, or even that I feel responsible for paying those taxes, and that’s why I filed a bankruptcy. And I’m like, I don’t want to endure public humiliation, people thinking that I’m broke. And I don’t want people thinking my parents broke child-labor laws. So I was like, I can handle this. I love my mom and dad, and they are responsible for giving me my career. And I still have one today. So I’ll file for bankruptcy, and I’ll pay 25 cents on the dollar for every cent I pay back. But guess what!