| "Bad News" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Zach Bryan |
"Bad News" is an unreleased song by American singer-songwriter Zach Bryan. In early October 2025, Bryan posted a studio snippet to Instagram featuring lyrics that reference immigration raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), prompting wide coverage and public responses from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other White House officials. [1] [2] [3] Major outlets refer to the song as "Bad News"; though some reports also note that Bryan captioned the snippet "the fading of the red white and blue" on Instagram, leading to speculation about the working title. [4] As of October 2025, no official release date had been announced. [3]
On October 3, 2025, Bryan, a U.S. Navy veteran, posted a teaser of an unreleased track on Instagram with the caption "the fading of the red white and blue." Multiple publications reported that the song is called "Bad News," noting lines that reference law enforcement and ICE. [1] [4] [5] In subsequent Instagram stories, Bryan said the full song would provide "context that hits on both sides of the aisle" and emphasized that the song reflected his love for the United States. [6]
Coverage of the teaser highlighted lyrics describing a raid and social unease, including the line "ICE is gonna come, bust down your door." [4] [7] Pitchfork likewise noted the verse about ICE alongside bars that reference cops and broader division. [1]
The preview sparked immediate national attention, including from the Trump administration. The DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, criticized Bryan, stating that Bryan should "stick to 'Pink Skies,'" a track from Bryan's album The Great American Bar Scene. [1] The department later shared a video using Bryan's earlier song "Revival," a move widely interpreted as a response to the teaser. [1] [2] Later, a White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, issued a statement to Newsweek : "While Zach Bryan wants to Open The Gates to criminal illegal aliens and has Condemned heroic ICE officers, Something in the Orange tells me a majority of Americans disagree with him and support President Trump’s great American Revival." [7]
Bryan addressed the reaction in a statement posted to Instagram. [8] He wrote that the song was composed months earlier and that the finished version would provide "the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle." He characterized himself as "just a 29 year old man who is just as confused as everyone else," argued that the response showed "how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media," and added, "Left wing or right wing we're all one bird and American. To be clear I'm on neither of these radical sides." [8] [9] [10]