White House Says Americans Disagree With Zach Bryan’s Lyrics Criticizing ICE
White House Responds After Zach Bryan Shares Snippet Containing ‘ICE’ Lyric

Gus Stewart/Redferns
Zach Bryan sparked criticism from the White House after posting a short excerpt of an unreleased track that includes a line about immigration enforcement — despite the song not yet being released publicly.
On Tuesday, Oct. 7, a White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, issued a statement to Newsweek in which she condemned the lyric and repeatedly referenced titles from Bryan’s catalog.
“While Zach Bryan wants to Open the Gates to criminal illegal aliens and has Condemned heroic ICE officers, Something in the Orange tells me a majority of Americans disagree with him and support President Trump’s great American Revival,” Jackson said. “Godspeed, Zach!”
Billboard has contacted Bryan’s representatives for a response.
The clip Bryan posted to Instagram — shared four days earlier — contains a verse in which he sings, “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.” He captioned the post, “The fading of the red white and blue.”
Although Bryan has previously been photographed with former President Donald Trump — an image he later removed — the newly circulated snippet places him among artists vocally critical of recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions and the administration’s deportation efforts. Other performers have likewise spoken out about ICE raids affecting immigrant communities around the country.
Jackson’s statement wasn’t the only government reaction. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, also weighed in, telling Billboard,
“Stick to ‘Pink Skies,’ dude.”
For background reading on the earlier photo with Trump, see the coverage at WhiskeyRiff.

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