In January 2017, Earnhardt revealed that his family immigrated from Germany in the 1770s to escape religious persecution, saying "America is created by immigrants." In August, he spoke out against hatred, bigotry and racism following the attacks in Charlottesville, Virginia and Barcelona, Spain. In September, after protests of the U.S. national anthem gained traction following criticism from President Donald Trump, Earnhardt expressed support for peaceful protesters, quoting former president John F. Kennedy on Twitter: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."