NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 The band Semisonic is pushing back at the White House for using their hit song 鈥淐losing Time鈥 over a social media post that shows a shackled deportee.
The White House added the song in a post of a man with his wrists handcuffed to his waist as he is patted down at an airport. The video was captioned with the song鈥檚 lyrics: 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to go home but you can鈥檛 stay here.鈥
鈥淲e did not authorize or condone the White House鈥檚 use of our song in any way. And no, they didn鈥檛 ask. The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely,鈥 the power pop trio from the Twin Cities said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Asked about the post Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said 鈥渙ur entire government clearly is leaning into the message of this president.鈥 U.S. Customs and Border Protection retweeted the White House's post on X with the caption 鈥淚t's closing time. We are making America safe again.鈥
鈥淐losing Time鈥 is from Semisonic's 1998 album, 鈥淔eeling Strangely Fine,鈥 which peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The song hit No. 4 on Billboard鈥檚 Adult Alternative Airplay chart and earned a Grammy nomination for best rock song.
Semisonic joins who鈥檝e objected to Trump using their songs, including ABBA, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Pharrell, John Fogerty, Neil Young, Eddy Grant, Panic! at the Disco, R.E.M., Guns N鈥 Roses, , Beyonc茅 and .
