Semisonic is speaking out after the White House used the rock band’s popular song “Closing Time” for one of its recent social media posts showing a man in shackles before his deportation.
The Minneapolis rock band — consisting of Dan Wilson, John Munson and Jacob Slichter — criticized the President Donald Trump’s administration for using their 1998 hit song in a video shared on Monday, March 17.
“We did not authorize or condone the White House’s use of our song in any way. And no, they didn’t ask,” Semisonic said in a statement shared on Instagram Stories. “The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the band for comment.
In the Instagram video posted by the White House, the song could be heard playing in the background as the camera panned to show a man in handcuffs getting patted down by Border Patrol on a tarmac. The video showed others in handcuffs before panning out to show the words “Border Patrol” as the men could be seen getting on a plane.
The video was captioned with a lyric from “Closing Time”: “🎶You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here🎶 @borderpatrol.”
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The White House’s post was released one day after the Trump administration announced that the president “signed a Proclamation Invoking the Alien Enemies Act” in order to immediately deport “nearly 300” immigrants accused of being tied to the Tren de Aragua terrorists in El Salvador.
“Thanks to the great work of the Department of State, these heinous monsters were extracted and removed to El Salvador where they will no longer be able to pose any threat to the American People,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X.
In a separate statement on March 15, Trump previously granted the Attorney General the authority to “issue any guidance necessary to effectuate the prompt apprehension, detention, and removal of all Alien Enemies” found to be working with the Tren de Aragua.
Semisonic isn’t the only band that has objected to the usage of their songs for the Trump campaign and his administration. Céline Dion’s team previously issued a statement that the usage of her song “My Heart Will Go On” at a Trump campaign rally in Montana was not “authorized” and that the singer did not “endorse” its usage.
Other musicians who have also criticized Trump’s usage of their songs include Adele, Beyoncé Rihanna, Steven Tyler and Neil Young.
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