SouthernWorldwide.com – The political left’s attempt to create a counter-event to President Donald Trump’s UFC event on the White House lawn on Sunday night was met with widespread online mockery. Celebrities and media figures who have spent years criticizing Trump resorted to familiar talking points, which ultimately fell flat.
The event, titled “Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment,” was organized by activist and actress Jane Fonda. It featured participants who spent three hours voicing criticisms against Trump, repeating accusations of “fascism” and “authoritarianism” that have been leveled against him since his 2016 inauguration.
The event was streamed on various left-wing YouTube channels and also broadcast on C-SPAN.
Bette Midler, an actress and activist, performed a modified version of Woody Guthrie’s song “All You Fascists Bound to Lose.” She altered some lyrics to include anti-ICE sentiments.
The modified lyrics included lines like, “We’ll battle ICE together, until they cut and run, just like in Minneapolis, and when the midterms come you’re bound to lose, you fascists bound to lose.” The song also referenced the Jeffrey Epstein files and accused Republicans of protecting pedophiles.
Midler’s performance drew criticism online. One X user sarcastically commented, “Shew! I just saw a bunch of literal fascists getting ready to take down the country, BUT LUCKILY, Bette Midler and her super powerful squad stopped them at the gate… lol.” Another post described Midler and other performers as “dusty relics who peaked decades ago” and called the event a “total bust.”
Former MSNBC host Joy Reid also spoke at the event. She blamed the Trump administration for her own termination and the dismissals of other former television personalities.
“The threat is not coming, friends. It is here,” Reid stated. “Brendan Carr, the man who wrote the blueprint to dismantle the FCC and Project 2025 is now running it. He is weaponizing the agency to bully and control the press and suppress the wider televised media.”
Reid listed several individuals she claimed were fired for their actions, including Don Lemon, Georgia Fort, Terry Moran, Scott Pelley, Jim Acosta, Karen Attiah, and herself. She asserted that they were dismissed for “just doing our jobs, standing up to the administration and in my case, also for speaking out against the genocide.”
Right-wing commentator Stephen Miller responded to Reid’s claims on X, stating, “Nothing she says here is true but she has the right friends in media so they will all applaud. Joy Reid is a bat s— crazy conspiracy theorist who they all accept because of the right politics.”
Children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel, known for her online content for children, joined the event. She had been protesting outside the ICE detention facility Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey.
Ms. Rachel, along with several children, took the stage to express concerns about federal officers enforcing U.S. law. Later, a group called Singing Resistance New York performed a song with the chant, “No one is getting left behind this time.”
The performance was met with derision. Ian Miller, a writer for Outkick, commented, “It is impossible to describe how much worse this is than Kid Rock doing an alternative Super Bowl halftime show.” Libby Emmons, a conservative personality, questioned the meaning and execution of the song, asking, “Rise Up Sing Out looks like a total bust.”
Actor Robert De Niro also appeared at an event over the weekend. He stated that he could not express love for America while it is led by Trump and compared Trump supporters to individuals in an abusive relationship.
“I hate to say it, but loving our country is starting to sound like an abused spouse saying they love their abuser,” De Niro said. “I can’t love a country that’s led by a racist, misogynist, xenophobic tyrant.”
De Niro then led the crowd in a chant of “Go f— yourself” directed at the former president.
His remarks also drew criticism. One commentator on X sarcastically stated, “Oh no, I’m being abused by the country that made me rich and famous beyond my wildest dreams! Help, help! I’m being oppressed!” Another user commented, “‘I only love America when we’re in charge’ great message Bob.”
