Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemned country artist Zach Bryan for his song “Bad News,” about Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, that left her “disappointed and disheartened.”
“You know, I heard that and listened to a little bit of it and was extremely disappointed and disheartened, and actually, I hope he understands how completely disrespectful that song is, not just to law enforcement but to this country,” Noem said Tuesday when asked about the song.
Bryan released the song “Bad News” last week following a wave of ICE raids across the country. In the song, he sings about government crackdowns: “I heard the cops came / ‘Cocky motherf****ers, ain’t they? / And ICE is gonna come bust down your door / The middlе fingers rising, and it won’t stop showing / Got some bad news / Thе fading of the red, white and blue.”
“To every single individual that has ever stood up and fought for our freedoms, he just compromised it all by putting out a product such as that, that attacks individuals who were just trying to make our streets safe,” Noem added.
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
There has been a significant increase in protesters outside the ICE field office in South Portland, Oregon, since June. In September, a White House official told the Washington Examiner that “antifa militants outside of the facility rolled out a guillotine,” in a threatening gesture.
President Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard to Portland in response to the heightened protests against ICE, but an Illinois court ruling has stalled their deployment.
Noem said she was not a fan of Bryan’s music and would be listening to other country artists.
“But I am going to go out and probably download some Jason Aldean songs, some John Rich songs, John Hardy, Kid Rock, any of those guys. Those guys know what it means to stand up for freedom. So I’m glad I didn’t waste any money on that,” Noem said.
WILL ZACH BRYAN WRITE A SONG ABOUT MURDERED WOMEN LAKEN RILEY AND RACHEL MORIN?
Both Aldean and Kid Rock are outspoken supporters of President Donald Trump. Aldean, who performed at Trump’s Inaugural Ball and spoke at last year’s Republican National Convention following the assassination attempt against Trump, also endorsed him ahead of the 2024 election.
Kid Rock, another longtime ally, joined Trump in the Oval Office when he signed an executive order directing the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department to crack down on price gouging for event tickets.
“Zach, I didn’t listen to your music. I’m happy about that today. Today, that makes me very happy that I never once gave you a single penny to enrich your lifestyle if you truly believe what that song stands for,” Noem said.