Kristi Noem isn’t buying what Zach Bryan is selling. The country music star trashed ICE and called law enforcement ‘cocky motherf***ers’ in a teaser of his unreleased song, “Bad News”. Beyond that, the lyrics paint a picture of a dystopian and declining America under the Trump Administration. The controversy surrounding the song has already created enough backlash that Bryan has come out with MULTIPLE STATEMENTS attempting to defend himself and the veracity of his lyrics. DHS Secretary Noem didn’t pull any punches when she hit back against the singer and his song this week. In fact, there is currently no love being lost between the DHS and Zach Bryan at all. Just to stir the pot, the Department of Homeland Security dropped a tongue-in-cheek video yesterday, trolling the singer by using one of his own songs in an ICE highlight reel! Here’s that DHS hype video as shared on X to get things started: We’re having an All Night Revival pic.twitter.com/o7q8DExPra — Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 7, 2025 For her part, Noem made it clear what she thought of the song. She spoke about it with podcaster Benny Johnson while on the ground in Portland yesterday, while accompanying ICE agents conducting operations targeting — among others — child predators in the country illegally. She pridefully claimed to have never spent a ‘single penny’ on Bryan’s music, according to this from the New York Post: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem put country music superstar Zach Bryan on blast over his controversial new song targeting ICE raids — as the singer said the tune is about “how much I love this country.” “I hope he understands how completely disrespectful that song is, not just to law enforcement but to this country,” Noem told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson on Tuesday. “To every single individual that has stood up and fought for our freedoms. He just compromised it all by putting out a product such as that, that attacks individuals who are just trying to make our streets safe.” Bryan claims kids are scared, houses aren’t being built, but everyone has a telephone, even as bars stopped being the social spot of the town. “The middlе fingers rising, and it won’t stop showing Got some bad news Thе fading of the red, white and blue.” Noem spoke out against the song during a short media briefing in Portland after federal agents arrested several illegal immigrants, including an accused child rapist, earlier in the day, according to Johnson. “Zach, I didn’t listen to your music. I’m happy about that today,” Noem said. “That makes me very happy that I never gave you a single penny to enrich your lifestyle, if you truly believe what that song stands for.” Noem called out Bryan’s apparent hypocrisy for releasing the anti-law enforcement song while having police protect him at his concerts. “That’s what’s so special about law enforcement, is that they don’t pick and choose who they defend when they do their jobs. They will even defend and protect people that don’t respect them or stand up for them so that’s who I’ll point to when I tell my grandkids to grow up like someone.” For everyone who prefers a video, here’s the clip of the conversation Sec. Noem had with Benny Johnson talking about the “Bad News” song: BREAKING: Secretary Kristi Noem flames country singer Zach Bryan. I just asked Noem about the new Zach Bryan song attacking ICE. Noem went scorched-earth calling the woke singer “completely disrespectful” to the law enforcement that protect him. Secretary Noem: “I hope Zach… pic.twitter.com/MPXuVshPnM — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 7, 2025 As I stated earlier, she made the comments while riding along on ICE operations that included busting a known threat to children. The video doesn’t show the man’s face, but Benny Johnson shared this clip of Noem talking to one of the recent arrestees. The man is accused of being a pedophile on top of illegally entering the country and had just been busted by those ICE agents that Zach Bryan is so down on: BREAKING: Secretary Kristi Noem tells arrested illegal pedophile from Portland that he will be prosecuted and deported to his FACE. The child molester was arrested just one hour ago. Team Trump is NOT messing around here. Watch this: pic.twitter.com/Pe9Ko3Vgk0 — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 7, 2025 Of course, the left-leaning media loves the fact that a ‘country’ music artist is seemingly anti-Trump and perfectly fine with an open border policy. MSNBC aired a clip of the teased song, along with lauding Zach Bryan as the epitome of the country music genre. (Something I would take issue with on SEVERAL levels…) That characterization seems like reaching too far to me, considering Bryan has never lined up with anything remotely resembling “conservative” in his lyrics or public statements. Here’s that clip from MSNBC… if you can stomach to even hear it: Meanwhile, Bryan has twice come out with statements on his Instagram account amid the backlash. In the first statement shared to his Instagram stories, he said people were missing the “full context” of the song, as covered in this report from Fox News: On his Instagram account, Bryan previewed a new song titled “Bad News” that appeared to lament the policies and general spirit of America under President Donald Trump. In a statement posted on an Instagram Story, Bryan wrote that “Bad News” was written months ago and that people need the “full context” of the song. “This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media,” Bryan said. “This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back.” Hours later, he posted an additional statement expressing heartbreak over being scrutinized for the last few months. Bryan, who has a history of being at odds with law enforcement, is known for his liberal commentary. I personally find it hilarious when people make a statement, and then feel compelled to issue multiple subsequent statements to clarify what they really meant. Only to DOUBLE DOWN on what they said to begin with… which is what caused the uproar in the first place! Here’s the full text of Bryan’s first attempt at calming the disquiet over his new lyrics as shared to his Instagram story: “On the ‘new’ song: I wrote this song months ago. I posted this song three months ago as a snippet. This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media. This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back. I served this country, I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space. I wasn’t speaking as a politician or some greater-than-thou asshole, just a 29 year old man who is just as confused as everyone else. To see how much shit it stirred up makes me not only embarrassed but kind of scared. Left wing or right wing we’re all one bird and American. To be clear I’m on neither of these radical sides. To all those disappointed in me on either side of whatever you believe in just know I’m trying my best too and we all say things that are misconstrued sometimes. Everyone have a great day and I love each and every one of ya!!!” Obviously, that didn’t calm things down. Because he almost immediately put out this SECOND statement: “The last few months of my life I’ve been scrutinized by more people than I ever thought possible. I feel like I’ve tried my hardest in so many ways and it’s so hard to see where my bearings even are anymore. Been falling off a cliff while trying to grow wings at the same time. I am SO proud to have served in a country where we can all speak freely and converse amongst each other without getting doxxed or accosted on the internet or worse; the violence and heartbreak we’ve faced in the last few months! God speed ol sons I’m out!” There once was a time when the prevailing wisdom would have agreed with him, at least regarding the need to “find our way back” and exit “this divided space”. But like some others, Bryan seems to have missed the memo that some things are no longer up for debate. Like… common-sense and justified legitimate laws. Like… the the responsibility and obligation of law enforcement and the Executive Branch to ENFORCE those laws. The internet was quick to jump in and help deliver that memo to Bryan… In the form of good ole’ fashioned social media pushback. Here are a few of the responses Zack Bryan has received following the teasing of his controversial lyrics. Popular X account DC_Draino noted the possibility of a boycott in Bryan’s future: We were just invaded by over 10 million illegal aliens and who does Zach Bryan cheer for? The illegals I smell a boycott brewing https://t.co/qZKTe3Rudh — DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) October 6, 2025 Another account responded by prophesying the overall deterioration of the singer’s career: Zach Bryan’s musical career after this… pic.twitter.com/V5yiflmlcH — Tyler (@USAFtylerMAGA) October 6, 2025 Another X user agreed that Bryan’s career would be “over” following this flap. She was even more direct in expressing her off-the-cuff response to Bryan’s ICE-hating lyrics: Dear Zach Bryan, Fvck you. Sincerely, American Patriots ICE agents risk their lives daily. Violent leftists throw bricks at them, attack them, spit at them, even shoot at them. And this is the song he released. Career over. pic.twitter.com/uGjkdN4snv — Kentucky Girl (@Notwokenow) October 6, 2025 And my personal favorite social media response to Bryan’s open defiance of President Trump’s immigration plan came from an X user responding to that previous post. Here’s one of the SOLUTIONS that Kristi Noem probably wishes she would have thought of when offering up Zach Bryan alternatives: In a world full of Zach Bryan’s be an Oliver Anthony pic.twitter.com/s5g1KFblHf — Providence Wire (@providence_wire) October 6, 2025 It’s worth mentioning that the song hasn’t even been released yet… only teased. And already the backlash has been this severe. Maybe MSNBC is missing something by hyping Bryan’s apparent popularity? I’ll give him this much — we’re on dangerous ground because of the divisive political atmosphere currently boiling in the United States. But you don’t put out a fire by pouring gasoline on the flames. And you’ll never successfully mitigate backlash by doubling down on what caused it in the first place. Like Noem, I have never dropped a dime into Zach Bryan’s pocket; and I certainly don’t intend to after this story. But unlike Noem, I’m not much of an Aldean fan. So as I cue up some Hank Williams Jr at my writing desk — “A Country Boy Can Survive” — and finish out this story… I encourage you to do the same, and wash out that bad taste from Bryan’s tone-deaf lyrics.