The White House has responded to musician John Mellencamp’s recent criticism of President Donald Trump’s initiative to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Mellencamp made these remarks during his Saturday night concert in Holmdel, New Jersey, as part of his “Dancing Words” tour.
Mellencamp paused his performance of the song “Pink Houses” to comment on the executive order. As he sang, “Go to work in some high rise / And vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico,” he interjected, “Wait a minute… It’s not the Gulf of America? What a stupid idea.”
In response to Mellencamp’s comments, White House spokesman Davis Ingle released a statement to Fox News Digital. Ingle stated, “Nobody in their right mind cares what out-of-touch, woke Hollywood celebrities have to say.”
During his concert, Mellencamp’s remarks were met with attention, and he quickly returned to finishing his song, a staple since its release in 1983. “Pink Houses” reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and is known for examining themes of the American dream, including class and inequality. The song drew inspiration from Mellencamp witnessing a man outside a small pink house, leading to the iconic chorus, “Ain’t that America.”
President Trump had previously posed with a “Gulf of America” cap at the White House, signifying the administration’s seriousness about the name change. Despite this, Mellencamp openly criticized the renaming, calling it “a stupid idea” multiple times.
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