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Country singer-songwriter Zach Bryan is drawing sharp criticism from the White House after previewing a new unreleased track that condemns U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Last week, Bryan posted a snippet of the song on Instagram, writing in the caption: “The fading of the red white and blue.” The clip included the following verse:
“I heard the cops came, Cocky motherf–kers, ain’t they?
And ICE is gonna come bust down your door, Try to build a house no one builds no more.
But I got a telephone, Kids are all scared and all alone.”
The lyric quickly sparked debate online — and within hours, the federal government took notice.
On Tuesday (Oct. 7), White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson issued a statement to Newsweek, criticizing the Grammy winner’s comments and referencing several of his past hits.
“While Zach Bryan wants to Open the Gates to criminal illegal aliens and has Condemned heroic ICE officers, Something in the Orange tells me most Americans disagree with him and support President Trump’s great American Revival,” Jackson said. “Godspeed, Zach!”
Bryan has not publicly responded.
The controversy arrives as the Trump administration continues its large-scale deportation operations — a policy that’s drawn widespread criticism from artists, activists, and immigrant-rights organizations.
Adding to the backlash, Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary of public affairs for the Department of Homeland Security, told Billboard, “Stick to ‘Pink Skies,’ dude.”
Although Bryan once posed for a photo with Donald Trump, his new lyrics appear to reflect growing frustration with the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics and treatment of immigrant families.
SOURCE: Billboard