Green Day’s Cringe Trump Diss Ends in Fire and Evacuation [WATCH]

Green Day, the punk rock band known for its politically charged performances, made headlines again Sunday night during their set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival after altering lyrics to criticize President Donald Trump and his supporters — and accidentally setting a palm tree on fire with off-course pyrotechnics.

During a performance of their 2004 hit “American Idiot,” originally written in opposition to the Iraq War under President George W. Bush, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong swapped the lyric “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” for “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda.”

The lyric change appeared to be a direct political jab at Trump and his supporters during the Southern California music festival.

Green Day just as based as ever.
opening Coachella with “American Idiot” and changing the lyrics to “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda” ❌
oh and supporting Palestine pic.twitter.com/0G7jPhkpAJ

— /ˈtinɑ/ ⎕ (@hazyheadbigcity) April 13, 2025

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Later in the set, while performing the song “Jesus of Suburbia,” Armstrong inserted another altered lyric referencing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The original line “Runnin’ away from pain when you’ve been victimized” was changed to “Runnin’ away from pain like the kids from Palestine,” prompting some backlash online from critics who viewed the change as a political endorsement of Hamas-backed messaging.

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The politically themed performance took an unexpected turn when the band launched fireworks during the set despite the area’s dry, desert conditions and high fire risk.

The temperature at the time reportedly exceeded 100 degrees.

One of the fireworks veered off course, igniting a nearby palm tree.

Festival officials quickly responded, ordering the surrounding crowd to disperse from the area while the fire was extinguished.

No injuries were reported, but security personnel were heard instructing, “Everybody out, please,” as they cleared the immediate area.

A firework just exploded next to me and all my friends at Coachella. I can’t hear out of my right ear, multiple people hurt. That was fucking insane, I thought it was a terrorist attack. pic.twitter.com/sCBhVuPJqu

— 2 BLICKY RICKY (@banksfucks) April 13, 2025

The incident follows previous political statements made by the band during live performances.

Earlier this year, Green Day similarly altered the lyrics to “American Idiot” while performing on ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” again replacing “redneck agenda” with “MAGA agenda.”

That performance came just days before the 2024 presidential election, which saw Donald Trump return to the White House.

Following that performance, DOGE Chief Elon Musk criticized the band on social media, calling them “milquetoast,” adding to the chorus of reactions from conservatives who view the group’s continued political commentary as performative or out of step with the American working class.

Green Day has maintained a reputation for political activism throughout their career, but their recent performances have drawn scrutiny not only for their partisan lyrics but also for the contrast between their anti-establishment branding and participation in high-profile corporate events like Coachella and network television broadcasts.

The lyrics to “American Idiot” were originally aimed at criticizing media narratives and war-driven foreign policy, specifically surrounding the Iraq War.

In a twist of irony, critics pointed out that the “MAGA agenda” the band now criticizes is the political alignment currently most associated with opposition to prolonged foreign wars and skepticism of legacy media institutions.

The fire incident remains under review by event organizers. As of Monday, Coachella officials have not issued a formal statement regarding whether Green Day’s use of pyrotechnics violated festival safety protocols.

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