A new video released by the White House on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle has created a firestorm on the internet, with people criticizing it as insensitive and dehumanizing to migrants. In the video, detained groups are seen being processed for deportation against the background of the cheerful 1983 pop tune “Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)” by Bananarama. The caption that accompanied it repeated the song’s timeless chorus: “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye.”
Take a look:
Backlash on Social Media
The upbeat tone of the video elicited immediate outrage from social media participants and advocacy groups who perceived the posting as derisive of human suffering. One user labeled it “ghoulish behavior. Sociopathic. Shame on you,” and another begged, “It would be great if you guys stopped with the dehumanizing posts! It’s disgusting.
One of the most caustic remarks said: “State-sponsored dehumanization—with a soundtrack. Weaponizing suffering. Trivializing lives shattered. Glorifying cruelty like it’s a game show. This is how fascism speaks when it believes no one will be able to get in its way. We see you. And we will stop you.”
White House Responds
Despite the backlash, the White House defended the post. A spokesperson pointed out the steep drop in illegal crossings on the southern border, stating: “In March, the US Border Patrol apprehended only 7,181 illegal aliens at the southern border, a 95% reduction from 2024 and a 97% reduction from 2022.” The post positioned the statistics as proof of the administration’s effective border strategies.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has employed music in contentious immigration advertising. Only last month, the White House was criticized for another video, this one scored to Semisonic’s 1998 hit ‘Closing Time’. It had a deportee being led away as the song played, captioned with a lyric from the song: “Closing time, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
Semisonic soon replied that they hadn’t given approval for their song to be used in this manner. “We did not approve or condone the White House’s use of our song whatsoever. And no, they didn’t request it. The song is one about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have lost the point entirely,” the group said.
They are part of an expanding roster of artists such as Guns N’ Roses, Beyoncé, and Rihanna; who have pushed back publicly against their music being linked with the Trump administration’s immigration platform.
Leavitt Defends Trump’s Strategy
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stood up for the administration’s messaging, responding: “Our whole government obviously is leaning into the message of the President.” She noted that the videos speak to President Trump’s strong opposition to immigration, an important aspect of his political platform.
Trump has promised over and over to execute what he refers to as one of the largest deportation efforts in American history. Estimates are that around 33,000 illegal immigrants have been arrested so far, and hundreds have been sent back to their countries. But the tactics and the deployment of inflammatory images by the administration continue to stir public anger and legal challenge.