Robert John Burck (born December 23, 1970), better known as the Naked Cowboy, is an American street performer, singer, songwriter, and occasional actor. He is best known for singing regularly in New York City's Times Square. Burck is also a regular in the streets of the French Quarter during the New Orleans Mardi Gras season. He wears only cowboy boots, a hat, and white briefs, with a guitar strategically placed to give the illusion of nudity. On October 6, 2010, Burck formally announced that he was running for President of the United States in the 2012 U.S. election as a candidate representing the U.S. Tea Party movement. Background Burck was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended Our Lady of the Rosary elementary school in nearby Greenhills, Ohio. He later earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Cincinnati College of Arts and Sciences in 1995. He began busking in December 1997, and first appeared on Venice Beach, Los Angeles. He is best known as a fixture of Times Square in New York City, where he has appeared almost daily since September 1999. He made an appearance in Donnybrook, Dublin, Ireland on January 25, 2009, where he performed his theme song "I'm the Naked Cowboy" at a Leinster Rugby game before 18,000 spectators. In May 2014, Burck temporarily switched from his usual briefs to boxer briefs, after being sponsored by Fruit of the Loom. On November 11, 2020, while performing in New York in front of a few tourists, a person pulled down and ripped Burck’s briefs. Music Burck has made appearances in three music videos, including Cake's "Short Skirt/Long Jacket", Tyler Hilton's "When It Comes", and Nickelback's "Rockstar". In 2007, Burck released an album of his own, signing to 4Sight Music Productions and recording the pop-rock album Year of the Cowboy produced by Lee Evans and producer Dante Lattanzi at JAMBOX Recording Studios in New York City. The album was featured on MTV News. Politics On July 20, 2009, it was announced that Burck would challenge Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2009 election for Mayor of New York City. In response, Jonny Porkpie, the self-proclaimed "burlesque Mayor of NYC" announced that he would run against him. On September 5, 2009, Burck withdrew from the race. On September 29, 2010, he announced his intentions to challenge President Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election. At his announcement, Burck