Green Day is gonna Green Day. The mostly irrelevant band that tries to maintain an edgy reputation welcomed 2024 by appearing on ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.
Green Day’s big hit, “American Idiot” was performed, as usual, but there was a twist this time. Lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, who has a long history of anti-Trump rants, changed some lyrics in “American Idiot” to snarl against the “MAGA agenda.”
“I’m not part of the MAGA agenda,” singer Billie Joe Armstrong snarled from the stage, replacing the original line in which he stated that he was not part of the “redneck agenda”; click here to watch video of the moment. As the four-times indicted, twice impeached former president ping-pongs between court dates and campaign appearances, the latest lyrical s*** from the veteran punk-pop trio was not a huge surprise.
Green Day have long spoken out about their disdain for the former reality star whose recent speeches have featured fascist-like phrases that have raised alarm among political pundits for referring to political opponents as “vermin,” language that echoed that used by Nazi leader Adolph Hitler. Back in 2019, the band didn’t hold back at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, where they debuted the anti-MAGA line in “American Idiot.” At the 2016 American Music Awards Green Day took aim at the then president-elect while performing “Bang Bang,” where Armstrong chanted “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” in a nod to Trump’s endorsement by the KKK and the rise in racist attacks following his election.
It’s not new or inspirational or even entertaining. I was surprised that Green Day is still around. So, there they are trashing not Trump, as Armstrong may have intended to do, but Trump’s supporters. Even though he has a redneck-ish name himself, Armstrong clearly doesn’t like the average American. American Idiot refers to people thought of as rednecks. His idea of being edgy and provoking a response is to belittle others as though they are beneath him.
American Idiot was written during the George W. Bush administration and was meant to protest the Iraq war. Funny thing, though, as soon as Barack Obama came into office, Armstrong was silent about wars and conflicts. Not a peep.
Elon Musk, not a Trump supporter, responded on X.
Green Day goes from raging against the machine to milquetoastedly raging for it 🤣🤣
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2024
It’s true. Green Day has been around since 1987 and is just another band pretending to be against capitalism. They sure live differently, though. They even sold anti-Trump merchandise for a while. How much more capitalist can they get? It’s like Bernie Sanders saying he’s a Socialist but enjoys owning three homes. They are all hypocrites cashing in on their political agenda.
Naturally, Trump World was offended. I say, why? Do they like Armstrong and not realize what a twit he is when it comes to politics?
Some of Trump’s MAGA minions joined Musk in denigrating the group, with one X poster calling them “punk rock sellouts,” while Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist director and Hercules actor Kevin Sorbo quipped “punk rock is pro big government” and right-wing troll Catturd wrote, “nothing says ‘punk rock’ like Government bootlicking, millionaire sellouts playing on ABC.”
The move should not come as any surprise considering that during their 2017 tour, Armstrong would often shout “F–k you, Donald Trump!” during performances of “American Idiot.” And, after Trump’s mugshot was released following his indictment for attempting to interfere with Georgia’s election process in the 2020 presidential race, GD released an “ultimate Nimrod” shirt with the scowling image of the one-term president on it as a benefit for the victims of last year’s devastating Maui wildfire.
Who cares? Green Day needs their hatred of Trump for publicity. They need to sell records. It’s what they do. You’ll notice the band had no outrage for how Biden withdrew from Afghanistan. Or how he slow-walked the United States into financial and military equipment support of Ukraine. The rage against the machine only happens during Republican administrations, it seems. Armstrong would scream, “F–k you, Donald Trump!” during performances of “American Idiot” during the band’s 2017 tour. Not exactly original material there. Has he not seen Robert De Niro do the same during award shows?
To the loyal Trump supporters who got upset, I say, don’t waste your time. This is a very old schtick from Armstrong. He’ll be the same during the next Republican administration. Especially if it is Trump in 2024. Someone may need to check on him and De Niro.
One rapper spoke out against Armstrong’s disdain for regular Americans. Rapper Hi-Rez, nee Jesse Friedman , went long on X in his explanation.
Rapper Hi-Rez offered a lengthy understanding of perception, stating, “I actually remembered the original line in their song said ‘I’m not a part of the redneck agenda.’”
“I, at 30 years old only recently realized how stereotyped the southern redneck American has been for decades,” he continued.
He then went on to praise their “patience” and continued trust in “God’s plan.”
Hi-Rez also noted, “I realized later in my life after making many redneck friends that these people are probably the nicest in the whole country TO ALL RACES.”
He concluded that this is, “Unlike most of these major city dwellers that ACT virtuous but are just virtue signaling most of the time.”
There ya go. I have no idea who Hi-Rez is but he sounds ok to me. A little patronizing but he’s making an effort to be a civil human being.
After this recent Greenday nonsense I actually remembered the original line in their song said “I’m not a part of the redneck agenda”. I, at 30 years old only recently realized how stereotyped the southern redneck American has been for decades. Ya’ll have much more patience than…
— Hi-Rez The Rapper (@HiRezTheRapper) January 2, 2024