Semisonic denounces White House use of ‘Closing Time’ in deportation video

The band Semisonic has said the Donald Trump White House “missed the point” of its hit Closing Time “entirely” when the administration used the Emmy-nominated song in a social media post showing a shackled person being deported.

A statement from Semisonic also said the White House did not have permission to use the song in that manner.

The White House’s post included a video of a man handcuffed at the waist while being patted down at an airport, captioned with the song’s signature lyrics: “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”

“We did not authorize or condone the White House’s use of our song ‘Closing Time’ in any way,” the band, which formed in Minneapolis, said in its own Facebook post after the video was circulated widely. “And no, they didn’t ask. The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely.”

The US Customs and Border Protection agency retweeted the White House’s post with the caption: “It’s closing time. We are making America safe again.”

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said on Monday that “our entire government clearly is leaning into the message of this president” when asked about the song.

Closing Time appeared on Semisonic’s 1998 album Feeling Strangely Fine, which peaked at No 43 on the Billboard 200 and earned a Grammy nomination for best rock song.

Semisonic joins a growing list of artists objecting to Trump’s unauthorized use of their music, including Abba, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Pharrell, John Fogerty, Neil Young, Panic! at the Disco, REM, Guns N’ Roses, Céline Dion and Adele.

In 2024, Dion’s management and Sony Music Canada rebuked the unauthorized use of My Heart Will Go On at a Trump campaign rally in Montana. A statement – alluding to the hit’s presence on the soundtrack of the 1997 film Titanic and published on her social media – read: “In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use.… And really, THAT song?”

Rihanna had a similar response in 2018 when Don’t Stop the Music played at a Trump rally. She said that her music should not be used for political purposes.

Artists including Steven Tyler and Neil Young have sent cease-and-desist letters demanding their songs not be used at campaign events. In May 2023, Village People also sent a cease-and-desist letter and threatened legal action after Trump used their song Macho Man and other hit songs without their permission.