5 anti-Trump songs to listen to on January 6

Today, January 6,  marks the fifth anniversary of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., being stormed by a mob of Trump supporters. Their goal was to keep Donald Trump in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from certifying Electoral College votes to solidify Biden’s win. 

The rioters were spurred on by Trump, who repeatedly made claims of election fraud and encouraged his followers to rise and “fight like hell.”

While they failed in getting the man with a tan who has concepts of a plan back at the helm, the riot did cause multiple fatalities and hundreds of injuries. One of Trump’s moves since his re-election was to pardon more than 1,200 people convicted in connection with the January 6 events. That’s just one move in the Trump playbook that has spawned opposition.

Plenty of musicians don’t condone that move, along with his other divisive actions, and have used their platform to speak out against him. Several groups, including ABBA, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., SZA, and The White Stripes, have demanded that Trump cease using their music. Many have released songs that outline their positions regarding Trump and his policies.

Here are five anti-Trump tracks that spare no punches in expressing their respective feelings.

‘Where the Poison Is’

Finneas
Singer, producer and big brother to Billie Eilish, Finneas unleashes a wealth of emotions about the Trump administration, particularly the handling of the pandemic, on this soulfully delivered track. “When all my friends get sick, it’s on the President/When all my friends get sick, it’s on his government,” he sings over a bottom layer of urgent beats.

‘Make America Great Again’

Pussy Riot
The Russian feminist performance art and protest group knows a thing or two about putting everything on the line to advocate for social justice. They’ve been taking Putin to task since 2011, and in 2016, released this song to put Trump on blast. The song’s chorus offers the band’s suggestions for building a better country: “Let other people in/Listen to your women/Stop killing Black children/Make America great again.”

‘State of the Union (STFU)’

Public Enemy
This hip-hop group has been addressing political issues since its formation in the mid-1980s, and it continues to do so with the release of a new record in 2025. The message here is clear from the jump: “Whatever it takes, rid this dictator/POTUS my tail, Ass debater/Primetime Preemo, rhyme-time crime/Like no other in this lifetime.”

‘The World Is On Fire’

American Aquarium
This alt-country song was a response to the 2016 election, and it’s a lyrical tour through processing the emotions regarding Trump’s victory. From the opening, “She looked out the window and said, ‘The world’s on fire’/That’s when I laughed and poured her a glass of wine/We just stared at the TV tryin’ to find some meanin’/Hopin’ that we’d wake up from this dream/Sometime tomorrow,” to trying to find hope and not to give up.

‘Seven Nation Army’

The White Stripes
Jack White, one-half of this now-defunct duo, has been quite vocal when it comes to his opinions about Donald Trump. This song wasn’t written as a protest song against Trump; it dates back to the early 2000s, but it became the subject of a lawsuit when the band sued Trump for using it in his 2024 campaign. Upon his initial knowledge of Trump and team using the song, White immediately took to social media, posting, “Oh….Don’t even think about using my music you fascists.”