The White House has come under fire from US rock group Semisonic for using their song “Closing Time” in a social media post that featured a deportee in chains.
Two days after the White House controversially deported hundreds of suspected Venezuelan gang members to a supermax jail in El Salvador, the Trump administration released the footage on Monday.
The song’s lyrics were used as a caption for the video, which also featured deportees getting on an airplane: “You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.”
Following the release of the video, Semisonic released a statement saying: “We did not approve or support the White House’s usage of our music in any manner. No, they didn’t inquire. They have completely misunderstood the message of the song, which is about happiness, potential, and optimism.
“Our entire government clearly is leaning into the message of this president,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in response to a question regarding the film on Monday.
