A counter-programming effort by left-wing celebrities to overshadow President Donald Trump’s UFC event at the White House fell flat Sunday night, drawing widespread ridicule across social media platforms. The three-hour concert, titled “Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment,” featured veteran activists and entertainment figures who spent the evening recycling familiar criticisms of the Trump administration. Hosted by actress Jane Fonda in New York City, the event aired on C-SPAN and multiple progressive YouTube channels but failed to generate the cultural momentum organizers had anticipated.
The gathering brought together aging Hollywood figures and former media personalities who delivered passionate yet predictable denunciations of Trump’s policies. Observers noted the stark contrast between the high-energy atmosphere at the White House UFC event and the somber tone of the New York concert. Critics quickly seized on what they characterized as an out-of-touch display by wealthy celebrities lecturing ordinary Americans about democracy and freedom.
Bette Midler’s anti-ICE performance draws sharp criticism
Octogenarian actress Bette Midler took center stage to perform a modified version of Woody Guthrie’s “All You Fascists Bound to Lose,” accompanied by four backup singers. The 80-year-old performer altered the classic protest song’s lyrics to target Immigration and Customs Enforcement, singing lines about battling ICE and references to Minneapolis. The performance also incorporated mentions of the Jeffrey Epstein files and accusations that Republicans protect pedophiles, themes that resonated poorly with audiences beyond the concert’s core attendees.
Social media users quickly mocked Midler’s musical contribution. One popular commentator sarcastically praised her “super powerful squad” for supposedly stopping fascists “at the gate.” Another post categorized Midler among the “dusty relics who peaked decades ago,” questioning the relevance of performers whose cultural influence had waned significantly. Conservative voices highlighted what they perceived as the disconnect between the concert’s messaging and mainstream American concerns about immigration enforcement and border security.
Former television personalities blame Trump for career setbacks
Ex-MSNBC host Joy Reid used her platform at the event to attribute recent media industry layoffs directly to the Trump administration. She warned attendees that threats to press freedom had already materialized, citing FCC Chairman Brendan Carr as evidence of alleged government overreach. Reid listed several former television journalists who lost their positions, including herself, presenting these dismissals as politically motivated suppressions of dissenting voices.
The former cable news host specifically mentioned Don Lemon, Terry Moran, Scott Pelley, Jim Acosta, and Karen Attiah among those “shown the door for just doing our jobs.” She connected her own departure from MSNBC more than a year earlier to her commentary on international conflicts. Conservative commentator Stephen Miller responded sharply, labeling Reid’s claims false and characterizing her as a “bat crazy conspiracy theorist” whose political alignment protected her from media criticism.
- Jane Fonda hosted the three-hour anti-Trump concert in New York City
- Bette Midler performed a modified protest song targeting ICE enforcement
- Joy Reid blamed the Trump administration for media industry firings
- Robert De Niro led profanity-laced chants against the president
- Children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel joined the event to protest immigration enforcement
Children’s performer and amateur singers join criticism of federal enforcement
Ms. Rachel, a popular children’s entertainer known for educational content, appeared at the concert following her recent protests outside the ICE detention facility Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey. She brought several children onto the stage to voice opposition to federal immigration law enforcement. The juxtaposition of children’s programming with partisan political activism drew mixed reactions from observers who questioned the appropriateness of involving young performers in such demonstrations.
Later in the evening, approximately 40 members of a group called Singing Resistance New York delivered what critics described as an amateurish musical number while shouting “No one is getting left behind this time.” Sports and culture writer Ian Miller compared the performance unfavorably to Kid Rock’s alternative Super Bowl halftime show, suggesting the amateur quality made it “impossible to describe how much worse this is.” Conservative commentator Libby Emmons questioned the coherence of the group’s message and their vocal execution.
Robert De Niro compares Trump supporters to abuse victims
Actor Robert De Niro delivered one of the evening’s most provocative speeches, declaring his inability to love America under Trump’s leadership. The Oscar-winning performer compared citizens who support the president to individuals trapped in abusive relationships. He characterized loving the country during the current administration as analogous to an abused spouse professing affection for their abuser, a comparison that sparked immediate backlash from political commentators across the spectrum.
The multi-millionaire film star escalated his rhetoric by describing Trump as a “racist, misogynist, xenophobic tyrant” before initiating a profanity-laced chant directed at the 47th president. De Niro’s emotional presentation included tears as he urged attendees to resist the administration. Critics highlighted the irony of a wealthy celebrity who achieved extraordinary success in America claiming oppression. One observer sarcastically remarked about being abused by the country that made him “rich and famous beyond his wildest dreams,” while another interpreted De Niro’s message as conditional patriotism dependent on political control.
The concert’s failure to capture public attention highlighted the diminishing cultural influence of traditional Hollywood activism in contemporary American politics. While organizers positioned the event as a principled defense of First Amendment values, the execution revealed a disconnect between aging entertainment figures and younger, more diverse political movements. The contrast with Trump’s UFC event, which drew substantial viewership and social media engagement, underscored shifting patterns in political communication and celebrity influence. The widespread mockery the concert received suggested that recycling decade-old criticisms without fresh perspectives or broad coalition-building had lost its effectiveness with general audiences.
