'90s rock band Semisonic strongly condemned the Trump administration for using their hit song “Closing Time” in a White House promotional video that the band slammed as missing “the point entirely.”
Semisonic in a statement Monday pushed back on the 16-second video posted earlier in the day on the White House’s official Instagram account. It features a man being patted down while handcuffed as viewers hear the popular song played in the background: “Closing time, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."
A second shot appeared to show people being deported climbing stairs to an airplane in the background as the words “BORDER PATROL” appear at the forefront in the dark montage.
The rock band from Minneapolis quickly fired back Monday over their 1998 hit being tied to President Donald Trump's goal of ushering in what the White House is calling “the largest mass deportation campaign in U.S. history.”
“We did not authorize or condone the White House’s use of our song ‘Closing Time’ in any way,” Semisonic said in a statement posted to X. “And no, they didn’t ask. The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely.”
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, asked Monday about the song, said the administration is “unafraid to message effectively what the president is doing on a daily basis to make our communities safer.”
“The specific video you reference, I think it sums up our immigration policy pretty well,” she added. “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
Semisonic marked the 27th year since the release of “Closing Time” in a social media post last week.
“We can’t believe it’s been 27 years since we released ‘Closing Time,’ a song that forever changed our lives. Endless thanks to the amazing souls who brought this record to life and stood by us every step of the way!” the band wrote on March 10.
