Green Day changed the lyrics of the song American Idiot in a swipe at former President Donald Trump during a live appearance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
Instead of singing the line “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda”, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong belted out “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda” in reference to the Trump slogan Make America Great Again.
The band has used the lyric change since at least 2019 when they performed at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas.
The 2004 song initially took aim at the administration of George W Bush following the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2019, Mr Armstrong spoke to Kerrang!, saying that the band wasn’t planning on writing overt songs criticising Mr Trump.
“I mean, I draw no inspiration from the President of the United States, because he’s just… there’s nothing,” he said at the time. “Trump gives me diarrhoea, you know? I don’t want to write a song about it!”
Elon Musk was quick to bash the band, writing on X on Monday: “Green Day goes from raging against the machine to milquetoastedly raging for it.”
Rightwing commentators mocked the band for their new lyrics, with ALX writing: “Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong replaced the words from ‘American Idiot’ with ‘I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda’. Yes, because that’s totally what everyone is begging to hear... They have become the American Idiots.”
Speech First Executive Director Cherise Trump, who isn’t related to the former president, appeared on Fox Business, bashing the band: “I think that it's imperative that we start to define what they mean when they say MAGA agenda. What does that actually mean? What does that look like? Does that mean lower crime? Does that mean actually secure borders? Does that mean a better economy? Maybe he is raging against the machine if that's what he's actually asking for?”
The band has made political statements previously – in 2016, they coined the chant “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” during a performance at the American Music Awards.
The band also sold merch featuring Mr Trump’s mugshot even as the former president did the same thing.
The rightwing satirical site published a story with the headline Green Day Releases Edgy New Album Titled ‘Get The Vaccine, Climate Change Is Real, And Trump Is Bad’.
Texas GOP Rep Dan Crenshaw wrote on his Instagram story: “I just hate it when big artists have the chance to bring Americans together and instead divide them. Why? You're a singer. I don't really care about your policy opinions unless it has to do with music industry regulations. Just make people happy with your music instead of spouting off.”
“Even as a huge fan of 90's rock, I've never liked Green Day. No particular reason, just never liked their music. Now I'm very glad I didn't,” he added.
Anti-gun violence activist David Hogg mocked those criticising the band, writing: “If you all hate Green Day getting into politics you’re gonna lose it when you actually listen to Green Day.”
“Oh no, Green Day has offended the people they were calling idiots 20 years ago and the idiots finally figured it out,” one platform user said on X.
