(Headline USA) Elon Musk mocked 1990s pop-punk band Green Day after the trio changed the lyrics of a song during a New Year’s Eve performance to insult supporters of former President Donald Trump.
While performing their 2004 song “American Idiot” on Sunday night, the band’s lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, changed the original lyrics from “I’m not a part of the redneck agenda,” to “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda.”
The song itself was released as a political statement following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and was meant to be a form of protest against then-President George W. Bush and the Iraq war.
Musk pointed out that the very establishment Green Day sang against back in 2004 is the establishment they’re now endorsing by coming out against Trump.
“Green Day goes from raging against the machine to milquetoastedly raging for it,” he said.
Green Day goes from raging against the machine to milquetoastedly raging for it 🤣🤣
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2024
Although Republicans have effectively moved from the Establishment party to the anti-Establishment party under Trump, Armstrong and many others who fancied themselves part of the old counter-culture have failed to adapt.
The phenomenon became the subject of a bitingly satirical song by the band Five Times August after many former rock ‘n’ rollers shilled for the pharmaceutical companies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Ain't No Rock and Roll" by Five Times August is OUT NOW from @basterecords wherever digital music is sold/stream! Get it today: https://t.co/3CPdPlIJW4 🎶 pic.twitter.com/qJcSdEMgDa
— Five Times August (@FiveTimesAugust) October 6, 2023
Despite the frequent projection of anti-bigotry virtue-signaling in his music, Armstrong has been a steadfast and unwavering hater of Republicans for at least three decades. But like many, his loathing for middle America went off the rails with Trump’s defeat of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
In 2018, he said, “I f***ing hate Donald Trump so much … I used to scream I hated George Bush. This one is a little different. This one is bad, it’s like acid gone bad. F***ing LSD and the American Right, man.”
And after Trump’s indictment and mugshot in August, Green Day released a T-shirt with Trump’s booking photo and the phrase “Ultimate Nimrod,” a line from their 1997 album.
“Good Riddance,” Green Day posted on Instagram. “The ultimate Nimrod shirt is available for 72 hours only. Limited edition shirt proceeds will be donated to T̶h̶e̶ ̶G̶i̶u̶l̶i̶a̶n̶i̶ ̶L̶e̶g̶a̶l̶ ̶D̶e̶f̶e̶n̶s̶e̶ ̶F̶u̶n̶d̶ @greatergoodmusiccharity.”
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Musk has also been critical of Trump, but has become more outspoken against President Joe Biden and the Left over the past couple of years.
“It’s hard to tell what Biden is doing to be totally frank,” Musk said in 2022. “The real president is whoever controls the teleprompter. The path to power is the path to the teleprompter. I do feel like if somebody were to accidentally lean on the teleprompter, it’s going to be like ‘Anchorman.'”
