'90s Band Semisonic Rips Trump For Using Song 'Closing Time' In Deportation Video

Music artists and bands not wanting to be associated with Republican President Donald Trump have slammed him for unauthorized use of their music at campaign rallies and videos.

Singers and musical groups that demanded Trump stop playing their songs include Celine Dion, Ozzy Osbourne, Pharrell Williams, and bands like ABBA, Panic! at the Disco, and many others.

The latest group to publicly slam Trump for using a song without permission was the '90s band Semisonic.

The Minneapolis-formed rock group is best known for their 1998 single "Closing Time," written by Semisonic frontman Dan Wilson, also known for writing hits for Adele and The Dixie Chicks.

"Closing Time" is generally about patrons leaving a bar at the last call, reflected in the following lyrics:

"Closing time, one last call for alcohol / So, finish your whiskey or beer / Closing time, you don't have to go home / But you can't stay here"

The White House co-opted the ballad as the backdrop to a montage deportation video featuring undocumented migrants being handcuffed by border patrol officers and boarding a plane.

The caption for the official White House post on X (former Twitter) reads "You don't have to go home but you can't stay here," flanked by musical note emojis.

It also tagged U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The backlash was swift.

Semisonic responded to the violation with:

"We did not authorize or condone the White House’s use of our song 'Closing Time' in any way. And no, they didn’t ask."

"The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely."

@thejunctionman/X

Wilson said he wrote "Closing Time" to replace the band's usual closing set song, "If I Run."

Though his girlfriend was pregnant at the time of writing, the singer didn't deliberately mean to write a song about childbirth. But halfway through its composition, he realized it was "also about being born," hence the song reflecting its themes of "joy and possibilities of hope."

Fans defended the artist.

While many fans suggested the band sue Trump's team, the possibility is unlikely.

In 2021, Wilson sold his entire song catalog to Primary Wave Music Publishing.

In February 2025, the White House was castigated for posting a "dehumanizing" autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) deportation video.

Titled "ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight," the non-verbal clip featured immigrants being chained by Enforcement and Removal Operations agents.

While no unauthorized songs were used in the controversial clip, it was meant to elicit a tingling response from viewers into ASMR by incorporating the sounds of clanking chains and footsteps of immigrants climbing aboard a plane.

Since Trump was sworn into office for his second term, his administration has publicly cracked down on mass deportation, detaining thousands of undocumented migrants regardless of their criminal history or lack thereof.

Exploiting mass deportations as meaningless entertainment fodder for conservatives is one of the many deplorable distractions coming from the White House.