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The American Music Awards got political last night when Green Day, staying true to their punk personas, brought some politics to the stage. While performing their song "Bang Bang," they burst into MDC's "Born to Die" and improvised with: "No Trump / No KKK/ No fascist USA."
Green Day is doing it! #AMAs pic.twitter.com/IKcP7dbEfW
— Nicole Dellert (@nic_heartsburgs) November 21, 2016
Rolling Stone notes that "Born to Die" "has become a recent popular chant for students protesting Donald Trump's presidency." Watch their full performance here:
Green Day - Bang Bang (Live) #AMAs pic.twitter.com/pyoMUogTCT
— ✘José Navarro✘ (@FCB_Navarro) November 21, 2016
President-elect Trump has drawn criticism for appointing Breitbart News CEO Steve Bannon as his chief strategist in the White House, given that Breitbart News stories appear aligned with white nationalist causes. He also selected Senator Jeff Sessions as his Attorney General; Sessions has been accused of being racist and has opposed legal immigration.
Trump has not (yet?) commented on the performance, but he has liked Green Day in the past:
Update: Green Day's chant was apparently impromptu, or at least not practiced during rehearsals. TMZ reports, "We're told ABC execs were completely off-guard. It's unclear if Green Day knowingly kept the chant out of rehearsals, or if Billie Joe Armstrong made a last minute decision to include the political message."